I disagree... if you wanted to test it, you test it with snowmelt and a fully intact primary spillway. The dam is how many decades old? They decided to test it only when the realized they were in over their heads. Having said that, can’t turn back the clock 10 years to test it under ideal conditions... they were extremely worried about the primary spillway and decided to give it a go.
Sometimes you find yourself where you are. Historically the lake level, over 50 years, has been controllable with the regular draw down and the primary spillway. I believe that they didn’t draw down enough in late January when the storm tracks developed in the current pattern. Water greed. Here in Reno we received our total year’s precip in January and the water masters here were relieving reservoirs, in earnest, by the end of the month.