Water supplies in many parts of the state are seemingly better than they’ve been in recent memory. Major reservoirs in northern California are near capacity. The state water board lifted mandatory restrictions on urban water use. Some water agencies say they won’t be asking their customers to conserve this summer.

Obligatory restrictions may have gone by the wayside thanks to a little El Niño rainfall, but an important fact remains: California is in its fifth year of drought and, across the Central Valley, farmers and ranchers are struggling.