Adani's Abbot Point coal facility has been fined more than $12,000 for releasing water during Cyclone Debbie that contained eight times more sediment than allowed.
The Indian mining giant was granted a temporary emissions licence during Cyclone Debbie in March to allow stormwater to be released due to high rainfall.
In April, Adani advised the Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection it had breached the strict conditions of the licence by releasing more sediment than allowed and the department has now issued the miner with a $12,190 fine.
In a statement, the department said conditions were put in place to protect the environment, especially during extreme weather events.
"Temporary emissions licences and environmental authorities are not taken lightly by the department and there can be harsh penalties for companies that breach their approvals."
Mackay Conservation Group co-ordinator Peter McCallum said the "inadequate" fine will not act as a deterrent to pollution from Adani.
"Without sufficient penalties for breaching environmental conditions there's little point in having them," he said.
The department said the stormwater release did not enter the Caley Wetlands adjacent to the Abbot Point coal facility. Investigations into releases into wetlands are ongoing.
Adani has until August 17 to contest the fine in court.
