Overall, the water year runoff into Flathead Lake was above normal. Warm, wet weather in March and April caused an early runoff and refill of the lake. Flood Risk Management levels were coordinated closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers due to the multiple high inflow events. Although the May through August runoff was 88% of normal, inflow was well above the minimum instream flow requirements. The project drafts to near 2891 ft by October 31 to mitigate the impacts of wave action on shoreline erosion. The range of forecast posts will start up again next spring.
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.