(Chris Parker, Headline USA) Authorities in California are cracking down on celebrities’ water use, reports KVIA News.
They have been unable to dissuade them with fines, so officials are now strictly restricting their water usage. This includes installing devices that, for example, force showers down to a trickle.
The drastic measures come as California faces a historical drought—and as a growing number of celebrities claim to support climate initiatives.
Reality TV star Kim Kardashian is among the top offenders, despite her having publicly expressed “concern” about climate change. She reportedly used over 150% of her water allowance.
NBA athlete Dwyane Wade was found to exceed 1,400% of his water allowance. He blamed the excessive usage on a leak.
“We have replaced all parts of our pool system that [have] to do with water flow and leakage in addition to converting to synthetic grass and drought tolerant plants to reduce our water usage,” his family said in a statement. “We will continue to work with the city and the water distribution company to make sure this isn’t an issue moving forward.”
They have also called on celebrities to set an example and help modify people’s behavior.
“People listen to you, people look at you, people value what you do,” said Mike McNutt from the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District.
“… We need you to step up to the plate, to be examples, and to be leaders so that other people will follow,” he continued. “That is the most critical thing that anybody in that bracket, or that has those resources, can do to influence and help with other people’s behavior modifications.”
Southern California water suppliers declared a drought emergency last November that has yet to expire. They called “on local water suppliers to implement all conservation measures possible to reduce usage.”
“We need immediate action to preserve and stretch our limited State Water Project supplies,” Gloria D. Gray, chair of the Metropolitan Water District Board of Directors, said in a statement.
“Southern California on average gets about one-third of its water from Northern California via the state project,” she added. “Next year, we’ll be lucky to get a small fraction of that.”
One restriction bans the use of drinking water to irrigate decorative grass at businesses, subdivisions and homeowners associations. Others place limits on how much water households are allowed to use. Those limits vary by location.
