Dear authors,
your contribution seems to fit well into the scope of HESS and the topic is timely and well presented. The two reviewers have suggested some improvements and I strongly encourage you to follow those suggestions carefully and try to improve your work accordingly. Otherwise, please explain why you disagree with some suggestion of the reviewers:
I have an additional request: You state that you can calibrate your model satisfactorily, both with and without reservoirs. Of course, this is somehow surprising. For instance, I do not think that one can model the Yangtze River downstream the 3 Gorges Dam without explicitly taking care of this (huge) reservoir. Thus, your findings might be dependent on the size and total storage volume of the reservoirs. Please elaborate on that. In addition, your model-parameters with considering reservoirs should result in more realistic soil parameters, I think. Can you also comment on that?
That's about my recommendations.
Kind regards
Axel Bronstert

Dear colleagues,
your paper is rather ready for publication.
However, as the editor in charge for this manuscript, I suggest you add a better understandable description of your innovative part of the VIC-model (Water reservoir storage and operations, section 3.1.2). This means, you should give the equations which you apply in the routine (currently you only give text), and you also may add a graphical scheme which enables the reader to grasp the main components of this new routine.
I think this should be feasible.
Kind regards
Axel Bronstert

Dear Stefano ond co-authors,
thank you for your efforts.
The paper now can be published in its present form.
Congratulations.
Kind regards
Axel Bronstert