The article analyzes methods for the protection of reservoir water against the eutrophication process. It discusses methods for protection against point-source, spatial and dispersed pollution, biological methods and the most frequently applied technical methods. It pays special attention to the application of mathematical modelling to predict changes in water quality. A simulation of water quality changes in the Dobczyce Reservoir, expressed by a change in the concentration of chlorophyll "a," was made. Calculations were made for different pollutant concentrations and different temperatures. It was found that temperature had an important impact on the course of the process in surface segments and that pollutant load exerted an influence in subsurface segments. In sediment segments, the factors did not practically affect the course of the eutrophication process.