Kardashians, Kevin Hart, Sylvester Stallone Among SoCal Water Wasters

CALABASAS, CA — Celebrities like Kim and Kourtney Kardashian and Kevin Hart are reportedly among the worst water wasters in their drought-ridden corner of Los Angeles County, according to a new report of Southern California water wasters.

The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District serving the celebrity-laden Calabasas and Hidden Hills communities sent warning notices to more than 2,000 of its customers who have exceeded their monthly water budgets at least four times since the declaration of a drought emergency late last year, the Los Angeles Times reported. In addition to the Kardashian sisters and the comedian, actor Sylvester Stallone and retired basketball star Dwyane Wade and wife and actor Gabrielle Union also received letters, The Times reported.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a drought emergency across the Golden State in Oct. 2021, and Southern California conditions have only worsened. The state's two largest reservoirs, Lake Oroville and Shasta Lake, were at critically low levels in late June, The Guardian reported. As of August, more than half the state is listed in the extreme to exceptional drought categories, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

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As the drought drags on, more water wasters are likely to get warnings from water districts, followed by public shaming — a phenomenon not seen since the 2015 drought. The last time drought conditions reached these levels, water district officials from Southern California to the Bay area began making public lists of the worst water hogs, turning lush green lawns into a thing of scorn. In some neighborhoods, the public scorn may be more likely to deter water hogs than even the steepest fines.

The Times reported that the list of people receiving warning notices from the district also included attorneys, doctors and Hollywood executives. Representatives for Hart and the Kardashians did not respond to the Times' request for comment.

The Times reported that Wade's Hidden Hills property exceeded its water allocation in June by 1,400 percent. Wade and his wife, Gabrielle Union, wrote in a statement to the Times that the overage was due largely to a problem with their pool, but they said they've taken "drastic steps" to cut their usage.

The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District has become known for its tight outdoor watering restrictions, outpacing the state in enforcing one-day-per-week water restrictions and aggressively punishing water use violations.

These San Fernando Valley celebrities are not the first to face local heat over water use. A Bel Air homeowner in 2015 was admonished for using 90 households-worth of water in a year without consequence by the city's water department. At the time, Bel Air was home to four of the biggest residential water users in the entire state, according to the Center for Investigative Reporting.

Penalties for over-watering in the Las Virgenes area include written notices followed by fines and ultimately a flow restriction device. The district had installed 40 flow restriction devices as of July.

Districts across Southern California have enforced similar water use restrictions focusing largely on outdoor usage.

Riverside County has also enforced outdoor watering restrictions during peak daylight hours, as has Los Angeles County.

In Orange County, water-saving measures vary from community to community, with many cities opting to restrict outdoor watering to specific days and times.

In San Diego, landscape irrigation is limited to no more than three days per week before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m.

In Long Beach, residents who opt for drought-resistant lawns are eligible for moneyed incentives from their local water department. The incentives show signs of tempering local drought conditions — Long Beach residents saved 14 percent in water use in July compared to 2020, according to Long Beach Water.

The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District enforced one-day-per-week outdoor watering restrictions in June after a gradually adding similar restrictions. On May 1, residents saw a 50 percent reduction in the allocation of water they are allowed to use for outdoor watering.

The fire-prone area has successfully cut back water usage in recent months, an early sign that restrictions work — local residents as a whole cut their potable water use by 37 percent in June as compared to June 2020. The district had sent some nearly 900 violation warnings were sent as of July.

City News Service contributed to this report.