Water experts want Qld mines put on hold Green groups want more information about the impacts of a Queensland coal mine on water resources. A DECISION on a mega coal mine in central Queensland will test the new federal environment minister's commitment to protecting water resources from mining, green groups say. Greg Hunt is due to make a call on GVK's massive Kevin's Corner project within days. The Lock the Gate Alliance (LGA) says it could become the first mine approved since the introduction of a new water trigger in the approvals process. LGA president Drew Hutton says more information on the potential impact of the project on Galilee Basin groundwater supplies is needed before it's approved. "This mine is one of five mega mines in the Galilee Basin that would have irreversible impacts on groundwater in the region," he told AAP. Even the Queensland coordinator-general acknowledged that this project will, in fact, be 'mining' groundwater from the surrounding area. Earlier on Tuesday, water experts called on the federal government to stop approving mines in the Galilee Basin until the impacts of existing projects on water resources were known. They said the introduction of the water trigger on 47 proposed coal and gas projects in the Galilee was a good start, but more needed to be done to protect the "precious resource." In an open letter to Mr Hunt, 13 water science experts urged him to reject any mining proposals that would adversely impact water supplies. They said mining and coal seam gas extraction could damage aquifers, rivers and water catchments. Greenpeace claimed Kevin's Corner would be larger than any existing coal mine in Australia and would use more than nine billion litres of water every year.