diff --git a/PyStemmusScope/bmi/docker_process.py b/PyStemmusScope/bmi/docker_process.py
index 06362673..7e0cc220 100644
--- a/PyStemmusScope/bmi/docker_process.py
+++ b/PyStemmusScope/bmi/docker_process.py
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ class StemmusScopeDocker:
     """Communicate with a STEMMUS_SCOPE Docker container."""
 
     # Default image, can be overridden with config:
-    compatible_tags = ("1.5.0",)
+    compatible_tags = ("1.6.0",)
 
     _process_ready_phrase = b"Select BMI mode:"
     _process_finalized_phrase = b"Finished clean up."
diff --git a/PyStemmusScope/bmi/implementation.py b/PyStemmusScope/bmi/implementation.py
index c64ca575..17af3bb2 100644
--- a/PyStemmusScope/bmi/implementation.py
+++ b/PyStemmusScope/bmi/implementation.py
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 from bmipy.bmi import Bmi
 from PyStemmusScope.bmi.utils import InapplicableBmiMethods
 from PyStemmusScope.bmi.utils import nested_set
-from PyStemmusScope.bmi.variable_reference import VARIABLES
+from PyStemmusScope.bmi.variable_reference import VARIABLES, BmiVariable
 from PyStemmusScope.config_io import read_config
 
 
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@
     var.name for var in VARIABLES if var.output
 )
 
+MODEL_VARS: dict[str, BmiVariable] = {var.name: var for var in VARIABLES}
+
 MODEL_VARNAMES: tuple[str, ...] = tuple(var.name for var in VARIABLES)
 
 VARNAME_UNITS: dict[str, str] = {var.name: var.units for var in VARIABLES}
@@ -29,7 +31,7 @@
 
 VARNAME_GRID: dict[str, int] = {var.name: var.grid for var in VARIABLES}
 
-VARNAME_LOC: dict[str, list[str]] = {var.name: var.loc for var in VARIABLES}
+VARNAME_LOC: dict[str, list[str]] = {var.name: var.keys for var in VARIABLES}
 
 NO_STATE_MSG = (
     "The model state is not available. Please run `.update()` before requesting "
@@ -78,13 +80,11 @@ def get_variable(
     for _loc in VARNAME_LOC[varname]:
         _s = _s.get(_loc)
 
-    if VARNAME_GRID[varname] == 0:
+    if MODEL_VARS[varname].all_timesteps:
+        return _s[0].astype(VARNAME_DTYPE[varname])[[int(state["KT"][0])]]
+    else:
         return _s[0].astype(VARNAME_DTYPE[varname])
 
-    # something's gone wrong:
-    msg = "Varname is missing in get_variable! Contact devs."
-    raise ValueError(msg)
-
 
 def set_variable(
     state: h5py.File,
diff --git a/PyStemmusScope/bmi/variable_reference.py b/PyStemmusScope/bmi/variable_reference.py
index 123050c2..fc7ed14d 100644
--- a/PyStemmusScope/bmi/variable_reference.py
+++ b/PyStemmusScope/bmi/variable_reference.py
@@ -12,7 +12,8 @@ class BmiVariable:
     output: bool
     units: str
     grid: int
-    loc: list[str]
+    keys: list[str]
+    all_timesteps: bool = False
 
 
 VARIABLES: tuple[BmiVariable, ...] = (
@@ -24,7 +25,7 @@ class BmiVariable:
         output=True,
         units="cm s-1",
         grid=0,
-        loc=["fluxes", "Resp"],
+        keys=["fluxes", "Resp"],
     ),
     BmiVariable(
         name="evaporation_total",
@@ -33,7 +34,8 @@ class BmiVariable:
         output=True,
         units="cm s-1",
         grid=0,
-        loc=["EVAP"],
+        keys=["EVAP"],
+        all_timesteps=True,
     ),
     # soil vars:
     BmiVariable(
@@ -43,7 +45,7 @@ class BmiVariable:
         output=True,
         units="degC",
         grid=1,
-        loc=["TT"],
+        keys=["TT"],
     ),
     BmiVariable(
         name="soil_moisture",
@@ -52,7 +54,7 @@ class BmiVariable:
         output=True,
         units="m3 m-3",
         grid=1,
-        loc=["SoilVariables", "Theta_U"],
+        keys=["SoilVariables", "Theta_U"],
     ),
     BmiVariable(
         name="soil_root_water_uptake",
@@ -61,7 +63,7 @@ class BmiVariable:
         output=True,
         units="cm s-1",
         grid=0,
-        loc=["RWUs"],
+        keys=["RWUs"],
     ),
     # surface runoff
     BmiVariable(
@@ -71,7 +73,7 @@ class BmiVariable:
         output=True,
         units="cm s-1",
         grid=0,
-        loc=["RS"],
+        keys=["RS"],
     ),
     BmiVariable(
         name="surface_runoff_hortonian",
@@ -80,7 +82,8 @@ class BmiVariable:
         output=True,
         units="cm s-1",
         grid=0,
-        loc=["ForcingData", "R_Dunn"],
+        keys=["ForcingData", "R_Dunn"],
+        all_timesteps=True,
     ),
     BmiVariable(
         name="surface_runoff_dunnian",
@@ -89,7 +92,8 @@ class BmiVariable:
         output=True,
         units="cm s-1",
         grid=0,
-        loc=["ForcingData", "R_Hort"],
+        keys=["ForcingData", "R_Hort"],
+        all_timesteps=True,
     ),
     # groundwater vars (STEMMUS_SCOPE)
     BmiVariable(
@@ -99,7 +103,7 @@ class BmiVariable:
         output=True,
         units="cm s-1",
         grid=0,
-        loc=["RWUg"],
+        keys=["RWUg"],
     ),
     BmiVariable(
         name="groundwater_recharge",
@@ -108,7 +112,7 @@ class BmiVariable:
         output=True,
         units="cm s-1",
         grid=0,
-        loc=["gwfluxes", "recharge"],
+        keys=["gwfluxes", "recharge"],
     ),
     # groundwater (coupling) vars
     BmiVariable(
@@ -118,7 +122,7 @@ class BmiVariable:
         output=False,
         units="-",
         grid=0,
-        loc=["GroundwaterSettings", "GroundwaterCoupling"],
+        keys=["GroundwaterSettings", "GroundwaterCoupling"],
     ),
     BmiVariable(
         name="groundwater_head_bottom_layer",
@@ -127,7 +131,7 @@ class BmiVariable:
         output=False,
         units="cm",
         grid=0,
-        loc=["GroundwaterSettings", "headBotmLayer"],
+        keys=["GroundwaterSettings", "headBotmLayer"],
     ),
     BmiVariable(
         name="groundwater_temperature",
@@ -136,7 +140,7 @@ class BmiVariable:
         output=False,
         units="degC",
         grid=0,
-        loc=["GroundwaterSettings", "tempBotm"],
+        keys=["GroundwaterSettings", "tempBotm"],
     ),
     BmiVariable(
         name="groundwater_elevation_top_aquifer",
@@ -145,6 +149,6 @@ class BmiVariable:
         output=False,
         units="cm",
         grid=0,
-        loc=["GroundwaterSettings", "toplevel"],
+        keys=["GroundwaterSettings", "topLevel"],
     ),
 )