Kardashians, More Celebrities Among CA Water Wasters

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Celebrities like Kim and Kourtney Kardashian and Kevin Hart are reportedly among the worst water wasters in their drought-ridden corner of California, according to a new report.

The public shaming of celebrity water wasters amid California's historic drought has begun in Southern California, which for months has lagged behind the Bay Area in conserving water. The most recent statistics, released by the state on Aug. 2, show that in June the Bay Area cut back on water use by 12.6 percent compared to June 2020, the largest savings in the state. The South Coast — which includes Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego — saved 5.9 percent.

As the drought drags on, more water wasters are likely to get warnings from water districts, followed by public shaming — a phenomenon not seen since the 2015 drought. The last time drought conditions reached these levels, water district officials from Southern California to the Bay Area began making public lists of the worst water hogs, turning lush green lawns into a thing of scorn. In some neighborhoods, the public scorn may be more likely to deter water hogs than the steepest fines.

The Bay Area is no stranger to drought shaming. In 2015 and 2016, Water Districts such as the East Bay Municipal Utility District began publicizing the names of top water hogs, which included a who's who of executives including Heidi Ridley, an executive at an investment firm whose household used 6,719 gallons of water per day. Other Bay Area executives outed included Safeway chief executive officer Steven Burd, Kumarakulasingam Suriyakumar, a Walnut Creek-based document solutions company CEO and University of California at Berkeley professor Richard Taruskin, a prominent music historian.

Sports celebrities made the list, as well. Former Olympic figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi used an average of 1,670 gallons of water per day at her Alamo home. Former San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey who lived in Lafayette used 3,390 gallons a day at his home. Oakland A's executive Billy Beane of Danville used as much as 5,996 gallons per day.

EBMUD has not issued name-and-shame lists in 2022.

In Los Angeles County, the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District serving the celebrity-laden Calabasas and Hidden Hills communities sent warning notices to more than 2,000 of its customers who have exceeded their monthly water budgets at least four times since the declaration of a drought emergency late last year, the Los Angeles Times reported. In addition to the Kardashian sisters and the comedian, actor Sylvester Stallone and retired basketball star Dwyane Wade and his wife, actor Gabrielle Union, also received letters, The Times reported.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a drought emergency across the Golden State in Oct. 2021, and Southern California conditions have only worsened. The state's two largest reservoirs, Lake Oroville and Shasta Lake were at critically low levels in late June, The Guardian reported. As of August, more than half the state is listed in the extreme to exceptional drought categories, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

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The Times reported that the list of people receiving warning notices from the district also included attorneys, doctors and Hollywood executives. Representatives for Hart and the Kardashians did not respond to the Times's request for comment.

The Times reported that Wade's Hidden Hills property exceeded its water allocation in June by 1,400 percent. Wade and his wife, Gabrielle Union, wrote in a statement to the Times that the overage was due largely to a problem with their pool, but they said they've taken "drastic steps" to cut their usage.

City News Service contributed to this report.