The celebrities are among more than 2,000 customers in the Calabasas and Hidden Hills enclaves of the San Fernando Valley who have been issued “exceedance notices” by the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District (LVMWD), the newspaper reports. It comes after the agency declared a drought emergency at the end of 2021 and further increased restrictions in June this year. Image: Kourtney Kardashian (pictured with husband Travis Barker) is also said to have used too much water The notices indicate that customers, including the Kardashian sisters, Stallone and Hart, have used more than 150 percent of their monthly water budget at least four times since then, according to the LA Times, which obtained the documents sent to residents in May and June after filing a request under the California Public Records Act. Residents who overuse are subject to penalties, LVMWD warned in a tweet earlier in August. Properties subject to warnings may see flow restriction devices installed. Former US basketball player Dwyane Wade and his actress wife Gabrielle Union are also among the residents they have contacted, as well as lawyers, doctors and Hollywood executives. “Customers are expected to adhere to water usage reductions and water conservation measures in place due to this emergency,” the notices said. Drought in the US West has caused the region’s driest two decades in at least 1,200 years, according to research published in the journal Nature Climate Change. The Las Virgenes region began water restrictions in stage three – of four total stages, with the third being classified as “severe” – on June 1, limiting outdoor watering to one day a week. According to the LA Times, Stallone’s estate was among those that used more than the allocated budget in May and June. The plaintiff’s attorney Marty Singer refers to the report, saying the numbers could “misrepresent and misrepresent the situation regarding water use on my client’s property.” He continued: “They have over 500 mature trees on the property, including countless fruit trees as well as pines. In the absence of adequate watering, they will likely die. This could result in dead or damaged trees falling onto my client’s property or neighboring properties.” Mr Singer said Stallone had “dealt with the situation responsibly and proactively”, letting some grasses die and watering areas with a drip irrigation system, and was also awaiting an inspection and further instructions on how to proceed with the mature trees. “I’m sure all the larger properties in the area have similar problems,” the lawyer’s statement added. “Therefore, I believe that my client will not be unfairly singled out in history for being a famous person.” Image: Dwyane Wade, left, and Gabrielle Union are photographed at the Met Gala earlier in 2022. Photo: AP/Evan Agostini Former NBA star Wade also reportedly responded to the report, attributing the excessive water usage to a problem with their pool. He and Union said they “took drastic steps to reduce our water usage in accordance with the new city guidelines and we have since moved into our home” and “we have done everything we can to remedy the situation.” Earlier in August, California’s grid operator also urged the state’s 40 million people to reduce electricity use in homes and businesses during a heatwave. As spells of extreme heat become more frequent, the strain on utilities and water supplies will become more intense, scientists say. Sky News has contacted representatives for Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, Sylvester Stallone, Kevin Hart and Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union for comment.
