While much of California remains in the grips of extreme drought, spring storms have eased pressure slightly and reduced the number of rural communities considered at risk of running dry. In February, the California Department of Public Health listed 17 mostly rural water systems as having less than two months water supply in storage. But in recent weeks that number has fallen to three as February and March rains improved the water picture slightly. Still, the Sierra Nevada snowpack that provides a third of California’s drinking water is at 32 percent of normal as the state heads toward the dry summer months.