Prolonged hot and dry forecasts have decreased the streamflow runoff forecasts for the Flathead Basin significantly. The lake was as full as allowed for flood risk management on May 26 and then the project ramped down to required minimum outflows to fill the lake as much as possible with the remaining runoff streamflows.
SKQ project outflows and the Flathead Lake elevation are dependent on many variables including lake inflows, weather, the demand for electricity, and non-power constraints such as the downstream fishery and flood risk management needs.