Each reservoir has one or two priorities for filling, relative to all other demands in the system. 1 is highest priority and 99 is lowest. Priorities can vary over time or by scenario. Note: a reservoir can also have a different priority for generating hydropower -- see Reservoir Hydropower for details.
All reservoirs have a main reservoir-filling Priority, for filling the reservoir to the top of the Conservation Zone. By default, priorities can range from 1 to 99, with 1 being the highest priority and 99 the lowest, although you can change this in Basic Parameters. Typically, this reservoir-filling priority is set to 99, so that it will fill only after all other demands have been satisfied. If you had two reservoirs, you could fill one before the other by setting the main reservoir-filling priorities of the two reservoirs to 98 and 99.
A reservoir may also have an optional Buffer Priority, for filling just to the top of the Buffer Zone. This allows for more control in how you allocate water in the system for filling various reservoirs. If specified, the buffer priority must be a higher priority than the main reservoir-filling priority (to top of Conservation Zone). Set buffer priority to zero if not used (this is the default).
See Demand Priority, Supply Preferences and Allocation Order for more information.
Entered on: Data View, Branch: Supply and Resources \ River, Category: Reservoir, Tabs: Priority, Buffer Priority