California water managers have announced an increase to this year’s allocations from the State Water Project due to the healthy Sierra Nevada …

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday announced the release of the state’s updated water plan, which garnered both support and criticism.

California has entered spring with an above-average mountain snowpack, and major reservoirs are in good shape for a second consecutive year. The California Department of Water Resources measured the water content of the Sierra Nevada snowpack Tuesday at 110% of the April 1 average. The benchmark date is when it has historically been at its peak and helps inform runoff forecasts. The above-average snowpack staves off immediate water supply concerns, but officials are still cautious. How the snowpack translates into runoff into rivers, streams and reservoirs will be seen over the next few months.

California regulators have proposed delaying some new rules aimed at reducing how much water people use on their lawns. Last year, regulators proposed new rules aimed at reducing statewide water use by 14%. The rules included standards for outdoor water use. On Tuesday, the state Water Resources Control Board proposed delaying those rules by five years. The rules would apply to water agencies, not individual households. Water agencies had been asking for more time to comply. Environmental groups said the delay would harm the state's water supply. They argue the cheapest and fastest option to increase supply is to conserve more water.

California's rainy season got off to a slow start but gained momentum with storms that have unleashed flooding and mudslides. Downtown Los Angeles has already received more than a year's worth of rain, and San Diego was flooded with atmospheric river-fueled storms. The water content of the vital Sierra Nevada snowpack has rebounded to 86% of normal to date as of Wednesday, and water storage in major reservoirs remains well above average thanks to runoff from last winter's epic storms. But while Southern California has seen historic rains, Northern California is only approaching average.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is pledging to fast-track more than half a dozen projects to remove or bypass dams that have blocked salmon. The proposals are part of Newsom's strategy to protect salmon. Millions of salmon once filled California's rivers and streams. But last year, there were so few salmon that officials closed the commercial fishing season. Newsom on Tuesday backed proposals to remove or bypass seven barriers to salmon in the state's rivers. The plan comes as the largest dam-removal project in U.S. history is underway along the California and Oregon border.

As forecasts teased California with rainstorms last week, the state’s reservoirs are already flush with water.