Monday October 3, 2022
The Guardian —
Los Angeles is living through a historic drought, but that hasn’t stopped some of its most famous residents from keeping their mega mansion lawns and ornate gardens well watered. In response, local authorities have turned to a surprisingly simple trick for keeping the wealthiest in check.
That solution is a tiny metal disc known as a “flow restrictor”. The restrictor can be installed in minutes over the pipes of chronic wasters, dramatically slowing down a home’s water flow.
Restrictors have already been placed on homes owned by multiple celebrities –including the comedian Kevin Hart, rapper The Game, and Kourtney Kardashian’s ex, Scott Disick, according to water district records reviewed by the Guardian. Other famous names could be next – addresses linked to Kim Kardashian, Sylvester Stallone and Madonna have all been included on lists of violators who were eligible for flow restrictors.
For water authorities, it’s an experiment in holding the super-rich accountable to the same standards as everyone else.