- Stars like Kim Kardashian and Sylvester Stallone have received warnings from the authorities for not respecting the restrictions on water consumption imposed in this western American state.
Due to severe drought in the western United States, water use restrictions are in place in several areas of Southern California. But more than 2,000 residents of the affluent neighborhoods of Calabasas and Hidden Hills, areas near Los Angeles known for their lush green lawns and giant swimming pools, continue to exceed the allowable limit. And sometimes from afar.
Several celebrities have thus received warnings, reported Monday, August 22, the Los Angeles Times. Kim Kardashian, like her sister Kourtney, both reality TV stars, have been pinned several times in June, according to the daily, which cites official documents.
A Hidden Hills home and adjacent land owned by a trust linked to Kim Kardashian exceeded their water allocation by almost 880,000 liters in total. A house belonging to Kourtney Kardashian in Calabasas was overflowing by almost 380,000 liters.
Sylvester Stallone’s residence in Hidden Hills exceeded its quota for June by 870,000 liters, or 533% more than the ceiling. The American actor’s lawyer told the Daily that his article risked giving ‘a false picture of the situation’ at a property with around 500 mature trees, saying his clients had ‘preventively’ installed a system of drip irrigation and left some lawns to die.
Flow restriction devices
Violators are initially fined hundreds of dollars, but recalcitrant and repeat offenders – often wealthy – can see their waters reduced to a trickle. Authorities in the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, which covers Calabasas and Hidden Hills, have already installed flow restriction devices at about 20 property main shutoff valves, the newspaper reported.
Las Virgenes spokesman Mike McNutt said he hopes celebrities lead by example when it comes to following the rules. “People listen to you, watch you, value what you do,” he said.
More and more Southern California residents are replacing their water-hungry lawns with hardier plants native to the region.
Faced with more than two decades of devastating drought made worse by climate change, the state of California has announced a new strategy to collect, treat and desalinate significantly more water.
