The Federal Government should adopt a Senate amendment to the Water Act that protects fertile farming land from mining, according to the Greens.

Senator Brown today successfully moved amendments to the Act originally proposed by the Independent Member for New England, Tony Windsor in the lower house.

Last month Senator Brown and Mr Windsor visited farmers at Caroona, near Tamworth, who are strongly opposed to plans by BHP to mine coal in the area. It's feared the mining may damage local hydrology and greatly affect the productivity of surrounding farms.

Senator Brown said that the Greens' amendment made it necessary for a mining company to undertake an independent catchment-wide groundwater study before exploration or large-scale mining was permitted.

"It's now up to Water Minister Penny Wong to make sure that the interests of Murray-Darling farmers are protected before mining is allowed to proceed."

"She should convince her Cabinet colleagues to support this amendment so that it can become law."

Amendment:

255C Mitigation of unintended diversions
Prior to exploration licences being granted for mining operations on floodplains that have underlying groundwater systems forming part of the Murray-Darling system inflows, an independent expert study must be undertaken to determine the impacts of the proposed mining operations on the connectivity of groundwater systems, surface water and ground water flows and water quality.

Where a substantial risk is identified exploration licences should not be granted.