Beverly Hills Put a Spotlight on its Celebrity Water Wasters

“Drought shaming” may actually be an effective tool for changing behaviors and promoting water conservation.

Oficials in Beverly Hills say they tried it all: educational campaigns, usage restrictions and written notices for people suspected of wasting water. Despite those efforts, the community missed its savings target every month since June, when a statewide 25% reduction in urban water consumption became mandatory amid the punishing drought. As a result, state regulators fined the city, saying publicly that its water wasters "should be ashamed."

...About four months ago, city officials got tough. Beverly Hills sent letters to dozens of customers in November warning them of high water use and urging them to cut back. The city also began penalizing profligate users.

...Now it appears the crackdown is working. The city cut its water usage by 26% in January — its highest percentage in eight months of reporting and more than double its effort in December.

"We believe that the penalty surcharges have had an impact," city spokeswoman Therese Kosterman said. "Many different tools are necessary in order to achieve … deep cuts in water conservation."

To achieve the 25% cut ordered by Gov. Jerry Brown, the State Water Resources Control Board assigned California's urban water suppliers individual conservation standards that they would be required to meet between June and February. Beverly Hills was told to slash its usage by 32% compared with 2013.

In May, city officials enacted restrictions on outdoor watering, refilling swimming pools and washing cars. The Stage D regulations also required a large majority of customers to cut their water consumption by 30%, compared with the same period in 2013. By the end of June, the City Council had approved penalty surcharges for those who failed to comply and began assessing them in November.

Between June and November, the city received scores of complaints about customers violating the Stage D regulations. Officials followed up with notices reminding these customers of the watering restrictions

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Taxonomy

• Authorities
• Water Scarcity
• Compliance
• Drought
• Reporting
• Water Management
• Urban Water Supply
• Consumption
• Water Governance
• Water Supply Regulation
• Regulatory