Recent advancements in computational and earth systems modeling have enabled increasingly high fidelity models of hydrologic systems, which are critical for our ability to understand and predict the hydrological cycle. However, many of these models do not incorporate the effect of human built structures such as dams. By not accounting for these impacts, our models are limited both in their accuracy and in the scope of questions they are able to investigate. Here we present an approach for representing dams operations in ParFlow-an integrated hydrologic model and compare it to implementations in other models. The reservoir module we present allows release curves to be represented either as a timeseries of fluxes or as a function of reservoir storage depending on the reservoir’s main use. We also present results from adding reservoirs to several idealized test cases, including a tilted V and simple stream network. Our results will improve current Parflow models and, as ParFlow’s integrated solver is well suited to capture surface-ground water interactions, they will enable us to ask new questions regarding conjunctive management of ground and surface water. Specifically, we can explore the effect of lowering the water table via pumping. We expect to see an impact on reservoir recharge as a result of reduced surface water flow.