Palmerston North ratepayers are being billed nearly $140,000 for a report on the pollution of the Manawatu River that mostly shows what they already know.
The report released last week says the city council's wastewater plant is continuing to leach phosphate into the river - a fact that has been known for years.
In documents released to Radio New Zealand News, the council says the cost of consultants, peer reviews and laboratory work for the report comes to just under $119,000.
Once GST is added, the total bill is $136,759.
The council says it will pay 80% of the cost and the regional council will pay the rest.
Mayor Jono Naylor says although the bill is large it is worthwhile, because the report has given the council certainty about the pollution, and the council intends to commission more research on it.
