Laguna Melincué

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Laguna Melincué
Location Santa Fe Province
Coordinates 33°42′24″S, 61°29′4″WCoordinates: 33°42′24″S, 61°29′4″W
Lake type endorheic lake
Basin countries Argentina
Surface area 120 km² (2003)
Surface elevation 86 m (2003)
82.5 m (1968)

The Laguna Melincué is an endorheic lake located in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina, in the General López Department, next to the town of Melincué, at approximately 33°42′24″S, 61°29′4″W. It covers a surface area of about 120 km², and its top water level lies at around 86 m above mean sea level (c. 2003).

The lake forms part of a wetland ecosystem, noted for its large population of waterfowl and other birds, which is protected as a nature reserve. In times of drought the lake's waters became saline.

For decades the water level of the Melincué Lake have varied considerably, often flooding parts of its basin, and over time this has seriously affected the prosperity of the nearby towns and the maintenance of roads around it. According to a study by the Faculty of Engineering of the Universidad Nacional de Rosario, in 1968 the top water level stood at 82.5 m AMSL, more than 3 m below its current height. In 1998–2000 the provincial government passed legislation creating a Strategic Environmental Planning Area covering the surrounding districts (Melincué, Carreras, Hughes, Elortondo and Labordeboy) with the goal of promoting its sustainable development, but major concrete actions have failed to materialize.

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