Here we describe and assess the impact of historical changes in land use/land cover on the dynamics of lakes and water bodies in the Pampa plain. Being the country's most productive area in agricultural terms, the region shows high density of permanent and transient lakes and wetlands mainly fed by rainfall during high-precipitation periods. Frequent cases of waterlogging are also the result of the phreatic rise that occurs when annual crops replace perennial vegetation thus altering the balance between water inputs and outputs on land. The flat relief impedes the rapid evacuation of water, which determines vast and persistent flooding episodes that affect the agricultural activities. Beyond natural causes, anthropic drivers have also had a great impact on the structure and functionality of water bodies and streams. The construction of roads, bridges, railways, channels and clandestine pipelines, and even cultivation schemes, aggravate floods. Water eutrophication and contamination by nutrients and pesticides are the direct result of agricultural activities, affecting water quality for human, domestic animals and fauna. Extreme dry or wet conditions plus extensive cultivation of land during the twentieth century triggered abrupt shifts that destabilised the stable patterns of land use and water coverage.