Around 20 farmers close to the mine site met last week to form the ‘Boggabri Farming and Community Group’, discussing environmental concerns, sharing knowledge about the project and forming a set of objectives.

It follows plans by Whitehaven Coal to increase extraction to 10mtpa, north of Gunnedah, and create a new open cut pit believed to be within about 500m of the Namoi River.

Andrew Watson, a farmer whose property is within four kilometres of the site, said the group doesn’t want to be controversial, but concerns about the environment and the Namoi River need to be discussed and addressed by government, as well as Whitehaven.

“We understand the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) hasn’t been finalised yet but we would highlight on the surface we’ve got some grave concerns about mining that close to the river,” Mr Watson said.

“We just think there certainly needs to be fairly tight regulations surrounding this mine. We’d like some robust regulation regarding dust, noise and traffic which is going to look after the local environment and local community.”

Another local landholder, Grant McIlveen, said establishing a group was a positive step forward. "It's great that we have formed this group and that it's no longer individual people. We can now all work together."

There are 30 farmers believed to be affected within six kilometres of the mine site – two of which are expected to be majorly impacted.

One of them is third-generation farmer James Barlow. The Barlows are in the “affectation zone” and there are three residences on the property, ranging from 700m to two kilometres from the mine site. Mr Barlow has recently developed the place with centre pivots to make it a fully-modernised, efficient irrigation farm.

Whitehaven is expected to submit its EIS in the next six months and has said the project will be the “subject of detailed, independent impact assessments across a whole range of areas, including groundwater and surface water modelling”.