Another environmental scandal. Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian and more celebrities were accused of violating California’s rules on water usage during a drought.
The Skims founder, 41, and her older sister, 43, were among more than 2,000 customers who were recently sent “notices of exceedance” by the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, according to a report from the Los Angeles TimesPublished Monday, August 22. These notices show that these customers have used 150 percent or more of their monthly water allowances at least four times since late 2021, when the district declared a drought emergency.
Not only did the notices reach the two oldest Kardashian sisters, but other famous celebs also received them. Dwyane Wade, Sylvester Stallone Kevin Hart. The district can now install flow restrictor devices — which can halt sprinklers and decrease water pressure in showers — on the properties that received the notices.
On June 1, the Las Virgenes district imposed “Stage 3” restrictions in an attempt to reduce water use by 50 percent. These rules limit outdoor watering for lawns and plants to once per week, with only eight minutes per station.
Earlier this year, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California imposed its strictest-ever restrictions amid the state’s driest period on record. Residents were asked not to use more than 80 gallons of water per day. (An example: A load of laundry takes 21 gallons while a 5-minute shower takes nine gallons.
Las Virgenes serves the area of Los Angeles County that includes the wealthy — and celebrity-filled — cities of Hidden Hills and Calabasas. According to the TimesThe district acknowledged that its customers are among the most water-intensive in the region.
“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,” Las Virgenes spokesperson Mike McNutt told the newspaper. “And that is not something that happens overnight.”
These water usage allegations are part of a continuing debate about celebrities’ private jet use in the face of the global climate crisis. Yard, a digital marketing company, published a list last month of stars with the worst carbon dioxide emissions using data from CelebJets’ Twitter account.
According to the report, Taylor SwiftThe No. The No. 1 celebrity violator when it comes to private plane emissions is Floyd Mayweather, Jay-Z Alex Rodriguez. Kim ranked No. She ranked 7th, while her sister Kylie Jenner — whose jet usage inspires plenty of criticism — didn’t crack the top 10.
After the list was published, the “All Too Well” songstress, 32, denied that she was solely responsible for her jet’s emissions. “Taylor’s jet is loaned out regularly to other individuals,” a spokesperson for the Grammy winner told E! NewsJuly. “To attribute most or all of these trips to her is blatantly incorrect.”
Scroll down to see the stars who were accused of violating drought restrictions.
