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In Parliament yesterday Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, called on the Minister for Water, Tim Holding, to ensure there is a flow of water to Little Lake Boort to provide an environmental refuge for the coming summer and autumn months.

“At the moment the environmental allocation is going to Lake Yando which is one of the district wetlands, but a better outcome would be achieved by putting the water into Little Lake Boort,” Mr Walsh said.

“Most of the water being placed into Lake Yando will be gone by the end of summer, whereas if it was placed into Little Lake Boort it would guarantee a permanent body of water for the whole year.

“In 2005 the Government gazetted a bulk entitlement allocation of 300 ML for Little Lake Boort recognising the lake’s environmental significance,” he said.

“With the Wimmera-Mallee Pipeline almost complete the water savings from the Waranga Western Channel service to that area have been gazetted to ensure the supply to Little Lake Boort is met.

“Any reasonable person would have expected that the 300 ML would now be available for Little Lake Boort,” Mr Walsh said in Parliament.

“However, the Minister has now decided that the savings from the Wimmera-Mallee Pipeline will all be diverted to Melbourne via the North-South Pipeline.

“Therefore, it would have been much more sensible to ensure that the Murray River environmental water, now being put into Lake Yando, be provided as a permanent body of water in Little Lake Boort as an environmental refuge rather than placing it where it will evaporate by the end of February,” he said.