Reservoir operators schedule releases for multiple categories of water use while protecting reservoir storage for future demands. A rule curve is guide that helps water managers balance conflicting requirements (delivering water versus maintaining enough water stored in reservoirs). Rule curves can have different formats. For example, a storage target could be fixed, or it could change depending on the season. We formulate different management problems that use optimization to find rule curves that balance conflicting objectives. We compare these curves and determine how they lead to different management outcomes. The work is in support of developing a software framework that allows water managers to perform experiments themselves, leading to better management of real-world water systems.