The Department of Water Resources has increased the allocation
from the State Water Project to 80 percent of what's been
requested. That's 30 percent higher than last year.
Near-record precipitation and the wet Sierra snowpack have
prompted the change.
It's in stark contrast to early 2010, when after three dry
years, the initial allocation was a record low five percent.
This year's initial allocation was 25 percent, but that has
steadily risen thanks to winter storms. Currently the
snowpack water content is 167 percent of normal for the date and
most reservoirs have more water than average.
More than 25 million Californians and nearly a million acres
of farmland depend on water from the State Water Project.