13 External costs and environmental LO2 cost estimation Consider the following excerpt relating to pollution of the Queanbeyan River in 2007 caused by the Queanbeyan City Council Queanbeyan City Council has been ordered to pay almost $425000 in fines and legal costs, for polluting the Queanbeyan River in 2007. About 1 million litres of untreated sewage was released into the Queanbeyan and Molonglo Rivers causing significant contamination downstream. Lake Burley Griffin was closed to swimming and water activities because of the health risks. The sewage was released when the old Morisset Street Pumping Station malfunctioned. Queanbeyan Council was convicted in the Land and Environment Court on Tuesday, after legal proceedings by the New South Wales Environment Protection Agency The Council says ratepayers will not be impacted by the legal costs and the penalty will be paid from a $23 million sewer fund