Voters in Rosebud County in southeast Montana have overwhelmingly approved a measure that would give the Rosebud Conservation District a say in regulating waste water produced in tapping coal-bed methane.

Conservationists hailed its passage in Tuesday's election as important to helping protect agriculture in the region.

The county election administrator said 2,104 voters favored the land-use ordinance and 521 opposed it, with all precincts reporting.

The ordinance gives local officials authority to ensure development occurs ‘‘responsibly,'' said Jim Rogers, vice chairman of the Rosebud Conservation District.

‘‘We're charged with conserving soil and water within our district,'' Rogers said in a written statement. He did not immediately return a telephone call Wednesday.

The ordinance includes such provisions as reviewing the anticipated effects of coal-bed methane activities on the watershed. It also calls for district approval of a conservation plan before drilling operations and for developers to put up bonds to ensure compliance with reclamation plans.

It is seen by the district as a ‘‘proactive approach to protecting the soil and water resources,'' the measure says. It said the intent is not to stymie development, but to provide a protection to soil and water and to encourage responsible natural resource development.

Its potential implications in Montana were not immediately clear. A message left for a spokesman with the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation was not immediately returned Wednesday.