Inter-basin water transfer (IBWT) involves the transport of water from one geographically distinct basin to another to balance the distribution of water resources. Although the socio-economic benefits of implementing these projects are well recognized, little is known about the subsequent effects on the water quality of the receiving systems. We evaluated the effects of an IBWT on the water quality of three receiving reservoirs of an intermittent river in a semi-arid region. We compared the similarity among the reservoirs before and after the IBWT to assess how the reservoirs responded to the introduction of water. Although the last two reservoirs that have received water have become similar in terms of physical and chemical characteristics and algal biomass (chlorophyll-a), the first reservoir has not. The IBWT resulted in an improvement in the water quality of the first reservoir but a decrease in the water quality of the two successive reservoirs, along with a significant increase in algal biomass. Long river sections located upstream that were dry at the time of IBWT probably contributed nutrients to the water as it moved downstream and into the reservoirs. Significant differences in the water quality were observed for different sampling months after the IBWT, but not for different sampling depths. Before the IBWT, the predictor variables for algal biomass were basically transparency and non-algal turbidity, with which it established a positive relationship. After IBWT, however, algal biomass also showed a positive relationship with pH and temperature. We conclude that IBWT affects the water quality of receiving reservoirs and that the responses are reservoir specific. IBWT also increases the complexity of the correlations of physical and chemical variables with algal biomass.

流域间调水（IBWT）涉及将水从一个地理上不同的流域转移到另一个流域，以平衡水资源的分配。尽管实施这些项目的社会经济利益已得到公认，但对接收系统水质的后续影响知之甚少。我们评估了IBWT对半干旱地区间歇性河流的三个接收水库水质的影响。我们比较了IBWT前后水库之间的相似性，以评估水库对引入水的反应。尽管最近两个已经入水的水库在物理和化学特性以及藻类生物量（叶绿素-a）方面已变得相似，但第一个水库却没有。IBWT导致第一个水库的水质得到改善，但两个连续水库的水质却下降，藻类生物量也显着增加。IBWT时位于上游的长河段很干，这可能是因为水向下游移动并进入水库时向水中贡献了养分。在IBWT之后的不同采样月份中，观察到水质的显着差异，但对于不同采样深度则没有。在IBWT之前，藻类生物量的预测变量基本上是透明度和非藻类浊度，与它们建立了正相关。然而，IBWT后，藻类生物量也与pH和温度呈正相关。我们得出结论，IBWT影响接收水库的水质，并且响应是特定于水库的。IBWT还增加了物理和化学变量与藻类生物量相关性的复杂性。