ABSTRACT
Reservoirs are those water bodies formed or modified by human activity for specific purposes, in order to provide a reliable and controllable resource. Reservoirs are usually found in areas of water scarcity or excess, or where there are agricultural or technological reasons to have a controlled water facility. Impoundments and off-river reservoirs form the two main artificially created water body types in which differing amounts of human control are possible, and which are usually very different in their morphology. Reservoirs are generally used for water storage along a river course, for off-river water storage, or for inter-basin water transfer schemes. Reservoirs, like natural lakes, are affected by the process of eutrophication. This chapter provides some detail of the particular impacts of the contaminants in reservoirs, and of how the conditions within a reservoir can affect them, as well as how management techniques may reduce their impacts on water quality and water use.
