As Southern California continues to grapple with record drought conditions, an upscale part of Los Angeles is reportedly cracking down on the worst celebrity violators by installing a piece of hardware called a “flow restrictor” that can dramatically reduce the flow of water to the stars’ palatial properties.
Restrictors have already been placed on homes owned by celebrities including comedian Kevin Hart, rapper The Game, and Kourtney Kardashian’s ex, Scott Disick, according to a report from the Guardian, which reviewed water district records.
Other celebrities could be next, with addresses linked to Kim Kardashian, Madonna, and Sylvester Stallone included on lists of violators that are eligible for flow restrictors.
The celebrity crackdown is taking place in the Las Virgenes water district, which services areas including Calabasas and Hidden Hills, which are dense with celebrity mansions. These estates often feature expansive lawns and lush foliage that imbibe obscene amounts of water at time when ordinary Angelenos are being told to cut back on water consumption.
A flow restrictor is disc made out of stainless steel with a tiny hole at the center, the Guardian reported. Installing a flow restrictor into the water pipe outside a customer’s residence takes only about 10 minutes, and the district adds a seal and a sign warning of a $2,500 fine if the device is tampered with, according to Mike McNutt, a spokesperson for the Las Virgenes water district.
The simple piece of hardware is reportedly so effective it can make showering and washing dishes at the same time difficult, while outdoor lawn watering becomes impossible.
“It doesn’t matter who you are, how much money you make, how well known you are: all of you are being treated the same,” McNutt told the Guardian.
A residence becomes eligible for a restrictor when it has exceeded its water limit by 150 percent at least four times since December 2021, according to the Guardian. More than 1,600 customers in the district have met this criteria, McNutt said, but the district has installed the device sparingly — with just six or seven dozen installations through early September.
As Breitbart News reported, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplies water to three Los Angeles-area counties, adopted severe water restrictions in June due to the state’s third year of ongoing drought.
But a number of celebrities have continued to flout the new regulations by continuing to consume large amounts of water.
Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg. Have a tip? Contact me at dng@breitbart.com
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