The Department of Planning and Environment hit Tweed Sand Quarry in New South Wales with a $15,000 penalty, according to an announcement issued on 25 July.
The site’s operators took steps to notify the department they had exceeded the 150,000m3 limit during the 2015-16 financial year.
A spokesperson for the government department said the company had fully co-operated with its investigation but must still pay the fine.
“Approved extraction limits are designed to manage the environmental impacts of the quarry such as traffic and truck movements,” the spokesperson said.
“The company admitted to the breach and explained the increase in extraction was due to higher market demand for the quarry materials.
“Compliance enforcement can include warning letters and orders, fines which can reach up to $5 million, and prosecutions for the most serious offences.”
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