The Palmerston North City Council is considering appealing against an abatement notice saying it has breached its resource consents for the Manawatu River.
The Manawatu-Whanganui Regional Council says the city council's wastewater plant has been releasing too much phosphorus and e-coli into the river, more than half the time since it opened in 2003.
A council meeting on Tuesday was deemed a waste of time by most of the public who attended, with many saying the regional council is being too lenient on the city council by letting it off with an abatement notice.
The city council now has 15 days to decide whether it will appeal. Mayor Jono Naylor has indicated that is likely, as it still disputes some of the breaches.
If it does not appeal, the councils will hold a workshop to discuss ways of stopping the breaches from continuing.
The regional authority is also considering reviewing the council's river consents.
