9 The wastewater that entered Porters Creek contained high levels of total suspended solids and elevated conductivity. The amount of sediment that entered the creek is not known. The solids in the wastewater stream were deposited on the creek bed and did not remain in suspension. Estimates involve a range of from 0.003T/hr to 1.6T/hr, but there is dispute about the reliability of this range, particularly the upper estimate. The water samples contained between 3 and 26 mg/L of total suspended solids (the latter in the swale) other than sample 3 (10 metres downstream from the discharge point), which contained 2200 mg/L. Sediments from the creek bottom may have affected this sample. The parties agree that, while sample 3 shows elevated total suspended solids, the precise measurement at this sample point is not known. Two of the samples downstream of the discharge point also show salinity levels above ANZECC Guidelines. The clean-up effort effectively contained and limited downstream impacts. While elevated total suspended solids and conductivity involve a wide range of potential adverse biological effects on Porters Creek (such as smothering of aquatic vegetation and bottom dwelling organisms, loss of suitable habitat and mortality of aquatic species, reduction in the abundance, diversity and reproductive capacity of species, particularly salt sensitive species), the actual effects are not known in this case, but would have been largely short term and thus minimal.