The government body received two $1500 fines in November last year after the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW) found its logging activities were affecting water quality.

A Forests NSW spokesman confirmed they paid the fines last month.

He said two drainpipes, adjacent to the logging site, became blocked after rain. Staff used shovels to clear the blockage and put the material near the site.

He said, under the environmental protection Licence, the material should have been removed completely, or consolidated so it wouldn’t cause pollution.

South East Forest Rescue spokeswoman Lisa Stone said they informed DECCW about the breach, located adjacent to the Deua River, last May.

Ms Stone claimed it was one of 23 breaches in the south-east region they reported to DECCW between April and November last year.

She alleged the other breaches included debris against habitat trees, fallen trees in exclusion zones and creeks, fallen habitat trees, and unmarked trees.

However, she said the water pollution breach was the “main one”.

“It was right adjacent to the Deua River and that feeds to the Moruya township,” she said.

Ms Stone was pleased to see the legal action, and said it was a “pretty rare occurrence for them to get fined”.

However, she said it wasn’t enough.

“The fines are actually quite low for the actual environmental damage that’s been done,” she said. “What I really want and what is needed is that the behaviour changes and logging contractors start adhering to the law.”

A DECCW spokesman said they were still investigating a number of other breaches, and that investigations were always continuing.

The Forests NSW spokesman said they would address the issue.

“Forests NSW takes any transgressions of the environmental protection licence for harvest operations seriously and will continue to audit and monitor operations and conduct appropriate training to ensure better compliance in the future,” he said.