Drought better, but SoCal still needs to conserve water, officials say

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- More than 40 percent of California is out of the drought - but problems still remain in Southern California.

For people who are careful about water conservation, like the Solem family of Azusa, these are better times. The family has seen all 30 of their 32-gallon rainwater collection barrels full to overflowing.

"We've never had it where everything was full," said Nancy Solem. "Until now."

But while there may be a temptation for Southern Californians to relax their water conservation, public officials caution the region is still facing problems.

State maps show the drought receding from Northern California, but still remaining a significant presence in the greater Los Angeles region.

"No, people should not think that because we have these rains the drought is over," Mayor Eric Garcetti said. "We would need three or four years like this and more months, so do not stop conserving water. That is a great thing to do and it could save you money."