Current:Home > ScamsKim Kardashian, Kevin Hart and Sylvester Stallone are accused of massive water waste -Global Finance Compass
Kim Kardashian, Kevin Hart and Sylvester Stallone are accused of massive water waste
View
Date:2025-04-15 06:17:54
Some of Los Angeles' most famous celebrities are getting put on blast after being outed for their excessive water use amid a severe drought emergency throughout Southern California.
Kim Kardashian and her sister Kourtney are among Southern California's worst offenders, Mike McNutt, a spokesman for the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District told NPR.
The pair have received "notices of exceedance" from the district, which serves the wealthy cities of Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills and Westlake Village. Those notices are given to district residents who have surpassed their monthly water usage budget allotted by the department at least four times, McNutt said.
And the reality stars are not the only ones.
Comedian Kevin Hart, former NBA star Dwyane Wade and his wife, actress Gabrielle Union, and Sylvester Stallone have also continued to exceed district limits despite repeated warnings and fines. Now, the water department could install flow restriction devices that can reduce gushing showers to a mere trickle, and would almost certainly turn the rolling lawns surrounding their respective mansions brown.
The violations were first reported by the Los Angeles Times. On Tuesday, McNutt confirmed the data, adding that, in all, more than 1,600 residents are breaking the rules.
He noted that the district is 100% reliant on imported water from the Sierra Nevada mountains 400 miles away. "We have no groundwater, we have no other alternative sources to draw from," he added.
McNutt said the Kardashians have flouted their official water allowance by 150% or more for several months since water conservation efforts were first implemented at the end of last year.
By the utility's count, he said, Kim Kardashian's two adjoining lots in Hidden Hills, guzzled their June allotment and then some, going over by about 232,000 gallons. Her sister, Kourtney, who lives in Calabasas, drained another 101,000 gallons in excess. Combined, that amount of water would fill half of an Olympic-sized swimming pool.
Dwyane Wade and wife Gabrielle Union appear to have begun to make some progress in reining in water usage on their property in the month of June, going over by 90,000 gallons. But their May bill was staggering — they used an extra 489,000 gallons of water that month due to a swimming pool malfunction, the couple said in a statement to the Times.
Meanwhile, a representative for Sylvester Stallone and his model wife, Jennifer Flavin, told the Times that their property has many large, mature fruit trees that would be at risk without sufficient watering. In June, the couple used 230,000 excess gallons of water – more than 533% than their allocated budget.
Kevin Hart's 26-acre Calabasas property also got more than 117,000 gallons than is budgeted for such a parcel.
McNutt explained the department has a formula for calculating fines for those who flagrantly eschew conservation guidelines. But he acknowledges that they're hardly a deterrent for the rich and famous.
"For the celebrities or musicians or athletes who all live in the area, monetary penalties are going to be meaningless to them because it doesn't matter. They have plenty of money and if they want to, they could spend $5,000 a month on a water bill," he said.
Indeed, Kim Kardashian, whose empire now includes a line of undergarments called Skims, was billed approximately $2,325 for her overuse. That's the equivalent of about 38 bodysuits, which retail for $62 a piece. Hart's fine for June, is about $1,170, less than the cost of three second-row tickets to the comedian's show in Chicago on Thursday. (Single tickets are selling for $382 each, plus fees.)
Now the district wants to hit people where it really hurts.
According to McNutt, that would mean installing a flow restriction device that would automatically reduce outside water usage by 70%.
People who prioritize lush, green landscaping over conservation must "understand that what they're doing is they're taking water away from somebody that could be miles and miles and miles away ... who needs it for cooking, cleaning, or bathing," McNutt said.
NPR's Greta Pittenger contributed to this report.
veryGood! (7229)
Related
- A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
- Noah Cyrus Likes Liam Hemsworth's Gym Selfie Amid Family Rift Rumors
- Toby Keith's Children Make Rare Red Carpet Appearance at 2024 CMT Awards 2 Months After His Death
- MLB power rankings: Red Sox come home with best pitching staff in baseball
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- Little Big Town Reveals Taylor Swift’s Surprising Backstage Activity
- Massachusetts city is set to settle a lawsuit in the death of an opioid-addicted woman
- U.K. police investigate spear phishing sexting scam as lawmaker admits to sharing colleagues' phone numbers
- Residents worried after ceiling cracks appear following reroofing works at Jalan Tenaga HDB blocks
- When does Purdue and UConn play in March Madness? Breaking down the NCAA Tournament title game
Ranking
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- Cargo ship stalled near bridge on NY-NJ border, had to be towed for repairs, officials say
- Purdue powers its way into NCAA March Madness title game, beating N.C. State 63-50
- CMT Awards voting: You can still decide Video of the Year
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- Happy solar eclipse day! See photos as communities across US gather for rare event
- Morgan Wallen has been arrested after police say he threw a chair off of the roof of a 6-story bar
- UConn or Purdue? NCAA Tournament title game picks for for final game of March Madness
Recommendation
'Most Whopper
Noah Cyrus Likes Liam Hemsworth's Gym Selfie Amid Family Rift Rumors
Many singles prefer networking sites like LinkedIn over dating apps like Tinder: Survey
Book excerpt: The Wide Wide Sea by Hampton Sides
A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
Are your eclipse glasses safe? How to know if they'll really protect your eyes during the total solar eclipse
New Jersey officials drop appeal of judge’s order to redraw Democratic primary ballot
Here’s what we know about Uber and Lyft’s planned exit from Minneapolis in May