Discover the Editor's Choice: From each issue of the leading journal Water Science & Technology the core team of editors select one outstanding paper to share across IWA Publishing platforms. 

IWA Publishing is pleased to announce that the 37th Editor's Choice Paper, chosen by Ivana Teodorovic is now Open Access: 

Assessment of wastewater treatment plant effluent impact on the ecosystem of the river on the basis of the quantitative development of ciliated protozoa characteristic of the aeration tank

R. Babko, V. Pliashechnyk, T. Kuzmina, Y. Danko, J. Szulżyk-Cieplak and G. Łagód

https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2020.327

Why was this paper selected for Editor's Choice? 

Thinking outside the box. That was my first impression upon reading this paper. The “box” in this particular case refers to contemporary complex water policy frameworks (such as WFD in Europe), which aim to provide a comprehensive and overarching approach for scientifically sound decision making in water management, including ecological status and risk assessment. And then, I asked myself whether ever increasing complexity of our assessment procedures that attempt to decrease uncertainty and provide water managers with scientifically based solutions fulfil that ambition?

Is there a less complex but equally reliable assessment tool at our fingertips?

You may agree or disagree with the authors, but I hope that this paper will also provoke you to think a bit outside the box.

Ivana Teodorovic, Editor.