Scientists stress conservation of water in midst of drought

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- This year, rain levels are one-fourth of normal. According to projections by JPL, you will see some storms this winter, but not the big soakers.

"The great wet hope, El Nino, looks like it's off the table," said JPL climatologist Bill Pazert.

An unusual conference was held at the Aquarium of the Pacific on Monday to stress the importance of water conservation.

"We currently have one year of supply in storage at the present rates of demand," said Jerry Schubel, president of Aquarium of the Pacific.

The ground water supply where we currently draw 70 percent of our water is getting tapped out.

"It's already happening in some parts of California, and it will continue to happen, especially in places where people rely directly on ground water, and their wells are no longer deep enough to reach the water table," said James Famiglietti, JPL water cycle scientist.

Earlier this year, the state set targets to reduce water consumption by 20 percent. Usage did decline but only to 12 percent a couple of months ago, and now it is ticking back up.

Madelyn Glickfield of the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability says water usage must be eased by better building codes so that gray water coming out of your dishwater and showers can automatically be re-used over and over again.

"I'm urging the state to change the plumbing codes with buildings to basically redo how we live. The green lawn days are pretty much over," Glickfield said.

Think conservation for life.