In this article a control model that can be used to determine the dependable power capacity of a hydropower system is presented and tested. The model structure consists of a turbine load allocation module and a reservoir control module and allows for a detailed representation of hydroelectric facilities and various aspects of water management. Although this scheme is developed for planning purposes, it can also be used operationally with minor modifications. The model is applied to the Lanier-Allatoona-Carters reservoir system on the Chattahoochee and Coosa River Basins, in the southeastern United States. The case studies demonstrate that the more traditional simulation-based approaches often underestimate dependable power capacity. Firm energy optimization with or without dependable capacity constraints is taken up in a companion article <Georgakakos et al., this issue>.¿ 1997 American Geophysical Union