Several celebrities, including Kim Kardashian and Sylvester Stallone, have received warnings for not complying with restrictions on water use imposed by the ongoing drought in California. Los Angeles Times.
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These restrictions are in effect in many parts of Southern California, including the affluent neighborhoods of Calabasas and Hidden Hills.
But more than 2,000 residents of these two areas, known for their green lawns and large swimming pools, continue to exceed the authorized limit, sometimes by a lot.
Thus, both reality TV stars like Kim Kardashian and her sister Kourtney were pinned multiple times in June. Los Angeles TimesCiting official documents.
The Hidden Hills home and adjoining land, owned by a trust linked to Kim Kardashian, exceeded their water allotment by around 880,000 litres. Kourtney Kardashian’s home in Calabasas was filled with about 380,000 liters.
Sylvester Stallone’s Hidden Hills home exceeded its quota by 870,000 liters in June – 533% more than the cap.
Violators are initially fined hundreds of dollars, but recalcitrant and repeat offenders — often the wealthy — can see their waters reduced to a trickle.
Officials in the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, which covers Calabasas and Hidden Hills, have already installed flow control devices at about 20 property main shutoff valves, the newspaper reported.
A spokesperson for the Kardashian sisters contacted by AFP did not immediately respond.
Mr Stallone’s lawyer told the Daily his story risked ‘misrepresenting the situation’ at the property, which has 500 mature trees, saying his clients had ‘premeditatedly’ installed a drip irrigation system and left some lawns to die.
More Southern Californians are replacing their water-hungry lawns with hardy plants native to the region.
The state of California, which has faced more than two decades of devastating drought due to climate change, has announced a new strategy to collect, treat and desalinate significantly more water.
Los Virgenes spokesman Mike McNutt said he hopes celebrities lead by example when it comes to following the rules.
“People listen to you, see you, value what you do,” he said.
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