Brian Goetz, deputy director of the city of Portsmouth’s Public Works Department, explains how current water levels in the city and at the Bellamy Reservoir, the primary water supply for the city, have returned to satisfactory levels following last summer’s drought. [Rich Beauchesne/Seacoastonline] PORTSMOUTH — Drought conditions are slowly improving in southern New Hampshire, but experts say groundwater wells for towns and private residences could still have a ways to go before recharging back to normal. Much of Rockingham County, including Seacoast towns, dropped from being in a “severe” drought to a less-extreme “moderate” drought Thursday on the U.S. Drought Monitor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “Moderate” is the second-least severe drought classification on the monitor, the least severe being “abnormally dry.” Drought experts and public works officials in the area say reservoirs should now be high enough to serve municipalities and water customers without issue this year, as surface water supplies recharge more easily in the winter than wells. They say groundwater wells, which rely on a thawed ground for precipitation to reach them, are still below normal levels and need more time to be replenished. Tom Ballestero, director of the University of New Hampshire’s Stormwater Center, said last year that bedrock wells on residential properties were likely deep enough to last through the drought than shallower wells. Last week, he said that may no longer be the case as bedrock wells monitored by the U.S. Geological Survey have been showing levels lower than normal. He said that may also be happening with other bedrock wells, which can be 300 feet deep and recharge slowly because of their depth. Municipal and…