Water quality assessment of Aguamilpa Reservoir, Nayarit, Mexico.

An analysis of water quality data is presented for the Aguamilpa reservoir located in a tropical region of the state of Nayarit, Mexico. The analysis includes physicochemical and biological data including total chlorophyll and blue-green algae concentrations obtained at different depths during the period of June 2008 to April 2009. The observed measurements show that the reservoir is stratified during all the study period and has a relatively high primary productivity. The relatively high blue-green algae concentration on the surface waters indicates that eutrophication process occurs in this young reservoir which began operations in 1994. This eutrophication process may be explained by the nutrients enrichment in the system, relatively warm temperatures intrinsic to the tropical region where the reservoir is located, low turbulence in lower layers and stable circulation patterns due to the narrow morphology of the steep canyon walls where the reservoir is located.