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According to the Los Angeles Times, Kim Kardashian and her famous neighbours, including Sylvester Stallone, have received warnings for frequently breaking water limits at their mansions in drought-stricken California. Strict water restrictions have been put in place across large portions of southern California, including the affluent communities of Calabasas and Hidden Hills, as the western United States experiences its 23rd consecutive year of drought, made worse by human-caused climate change.
However, more than 2,000 inhabitants of the two posh communities, north of Los Angeles, continue to exceed the restrictions, frequently by eye-watering quantities. These communities are famed for their wide green lawns and enormous swimming pools.
Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, well-known reality stars, were among the repeat offenders in June, according to a report in the newspaper based on notices obtained through a Public Records Act request.
While her sister Kourtney’s property in nearby Calabasas was about 100,000 gallons over its water allotment for the month, a Hidden Hills home and adjacent land held by a trust connected to Kim Kardashian surpassed their water allotment by a combined 232,000 gallons (1.05 million litres).
It reported that “Rocky” star Sylvester Stallone’s $18 million Hidden Hills house went over its June limitations by 230,000 gallons, or 533 percent, after going over the limit by 195,000 gallons the month before.
Repeat violators face hundreds of dollars in fines at first, but wealthy households who are still unconvinced may eventually get their supply physically reduced to a trickle.
The newspaper reported that the main shutdown valves for about 20 houses in the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, which includes Calabasas and Hidden Hills, have already been equipped with metal flow restrictor devices.
A request for comment from AFP was not immediately answered by a Kardashians’ spokesperson.
At a property with about 500 mature trees, Stallone’s attorney warned the Times that its article “may mischaracterize and mislead the situation,” adding that his clients had “proactively” constructed a drip irrigation system and allowed certain lawns to wither.
Dwyane Wade, a former NBA basketball player, and comedian Kevin Hart were also mentioned in the newspaper’s probe.
Los Angeles is well-known for its rows of palm trees, but it is also renowned for its lush, green lawns, which are frequently cared for using automatic sprinklers.
Residents are swapping out their thirsty lawns for desert-adapted flora in growing numbers, and Las Virgenes spokesman Mike McNutt expressed his hope that celebrities may serve as role models.
