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Water quality tools are necessary to control and prevent eutrophication in reservoirs, particularly reservoirs with aquaculture cages because these lead to nutrient loads from fish food. A combined bioenergetic and water quality model was implemented in this study to assess the contribution of aquaculture activity to algal growth in El Pañe Reservoir, Peru. In addition to its complexity, four different algal groups (Chlorophyta, Cyanobacteria, Chrysophyta, and Cryptophyta) were modeled according to their dominance in the water column of El Pañe Reservoir. Moderately reasonable distribution plots of chlorophyll-a were obtained when calibrating the model despite data scarcity and low R2 values (0.04 in the intermediate zone and 0.16 in the dam zone of the reservoir). Six scenarios of annual aquaculture production were analyzed, and the scenario with an annual fish production of 100 000 kg increased Cyanobacteria blooms to a dangerous level. Furthermore, the results indicate that an annual aquaculture production of 36 000 kg still requires careful consideration in terms of its impact on the water quality of El Pañe Reservoir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water quality models are important tools for facilitating assessment of the main processes occurring in an aquatic system. To this end, a water quality analysis simulation programme (WASP8) was used to assess the eutrophication process in El Pañe Reservoir. The reservoir has a useful water volume of 99.6 hm3 and is connected to six other reservoirs located in the Chili Basin of the Arequipa Region. El Pañe Reservoir, which is the basin head, has exhibited eutrophication problems since 2014, causing water treatment problems for human consumption and a high probability of cyanotoxin releases from intensive algal blooms. Accordingly, the reservoir was divided into 11 segments, ammonia, nitrate, phosphate, total phosphate, dissolved oxygen, water temperature and chlorophyll‐a being the simulated water quality parameters. The simulations were set in a steady state condition for 3 years from October 2015 to October 2018, subsequently determining aquaculture activity and benthic flux as being meaningful nutrient sources impacting the phytoplankton community. The results of the present study provide necessary evidence of the need to exhaustively quantify both sources in future research, which will aid decision makers in identifying the best management option that can help guarantee the sustainable development of the involved human activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]