THE WASTERS! Sylvester Stallone, Kim Kardashian and Kevin Hart among celebs accused of wasting water amid drought
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A number of big names have been accused of breaching their local water restrictions as the California state faces a drought emergency for the third year in a row. As per reports, Sylvester Stallone, sisters Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, comedian Kevin Hart, and NBA player Dwayne Wade were among over 2000 residents who received “notices of exceedance” by the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District.
The notice was issued to them for exceeding “150% of their monthly water budgets at least four times since the agency declared a drought emergency at the end of last year,” The Los Angeles Times reported. The intimation letter sent to them stated: “Customers are expected to adhere to the water use reductions and water conservation measures that are in place due to this emergency.”
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A property that has surpassed the limitation is reportedly an $18-million, 2.26-acre Hidden Hills estate under the name of Stallone and his wife Jennifer Flavin. It has been said that the address has used nearly 533% more than its allowance, which is 230,000 excess gallons of water, in June.
The actor’s lawyer Marty Singer commented over the issue, saying the numbers could “mischaracterize and misrepresent the situation regarding the water usage at my client’s property.” Singer continued: “They have more than 500 mature trees on the property, including innumerable fruit trees as well as pine trees. Absent adequate watering, in all likelihood they would die. That could result in dead or damaged trees falling on my client’s property or neighboring properties.”
“My client has been addressing the situation responsibly and proactively. They have let grasses die, and other areas are watered by a drip irrigation system. They also notified the city regarding the mature trees, and are awaiting an inspection and further instruction from the city about how to proceed. I am confident that all of the larger properties in the area have similar issues. I therefore trust that my client will not be unfairly singled out in the story because he is a famous person,” the attorney added.
Two properties of Kim Kardashian — her Hidden Hills home and its adjoining area — have also got the notice. Reports said she crossed allowed budget by around 232,000 gallons. Her older sister, who has a 1.86-acre property in Calabasas, surpassed the limitation in June by approximately 101,000 gallons. None of them have said anything about this yet.
Another prominent address that was sent the letter by Las Virgenes Municipal Water District was of Wade and his wife, Gabrielle Union. It has been alleged that their $18-million Hidden Hills property “exceeded its allocated water budget in June by more than 1,400%, or 90,000 gallons.” The couple addressed the issue and said, “We have been doing everything we can to rectify the situation and will continue to go to extensive lengths to resolve the issue.”
They added: “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. We will continue to work with the city and the water distribution company to make sure this isn’t an issue moving forward.” Meanwhile, Las Virgenes spokesman Mike McNutt said, “We’re asking them to not just minimize their water usage, but we’re also asking them, in a way, to just completely rethink what is aesthetically pleasing to them and how that’ll impact their property values. And that is not something that happens overnight. It’s not making an excuse up for them, but it is being honest.”
McNutt also urged celebrities to become role models for other residents. He noted: “People listen to you, people look at you, people value what you do.... We need you to step up to the plate, to be examples and to be leaders so that other people will follow. 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.”