The Boort wetlands are on the floodplain west of the Loddon River, below Loddon Weir. They consist of temporary and permanent freshwater lakes and swamps: Lake Boort, Lake Leaghur, Lake Yando, Little Lake Meran and Lake Meran. Together, the Boort wetlands cover over 800 ha. There are numerous other wetlands in the district, but they are currently not managed with water for the environment.
The natural watering regimes of wetlands throughout the broader Loddon system have been substantially modified by the construction of levees and channels across the floodplain and by the construction and operation of reservoirs and weirs along the Loddon River. Water is delivered to the Boort wetlands through Loddon Valley Irrigation Area infrastructure.
The availability of water for the environment for the Boort wetlands is closely linked to water available for the Loddon River system. The ability to deliver water for the environment to the wetlands is sometimes limited by channel capacity constraints. The VEWH and North Central CMA work with the storage manager (Goulburn-Murray Water) to best meet environmental objectives within capacity constraints.
