Rich people are trucking their own water into drought-ridden California

By Alissa Walker
28 August 2014 (Gizmodo) – Although 81 percent of the state is experiencing an “extreme drought,” for many parts of California there is no apparent water shortage. Visit the highest-income neighborhoods and you’ll see lush lawns and sparkling fountains defiantly sucking our lifeblood from the Earth. Apparently, the rich will do whatever it takes to keep themselves moist. To find out how celebs manage to remain so hydrated, Politico visits Montecito, a tiny, tony city just southeast of Santa Barbara. Montecito is famous for many reasons, including having some of the highest real estate values in the country. That, paired with its proximity to L.A., makes it a haven for celebrities, who have clustered their estates along the idyllic coast. But the most famous Montecito resident of all is Oprah. Ms. Winfrey owns at least two homes here, and last year her water bill almost topped $125,000. This year, it’s about half of that, thanks to the dramatic measures she’s taken to curb her use of the city water supply. But that doesn’t means she’s cutting back on water consumption. Noooo. She and many other celebs are now having their water imported:

These days, tankers can be seen barreling down Montecito’s narrow country roads day and night, ferrying up to 5,000 gallons of H20 to some of the world’s richest and thirstiest folks… …Bob Hazard, a retired hotel CEO who writes a news column for the Montecito Journal, says he would not be surprised if some of the town’s wealthiest are “paying as much as $15,000 a month for trucked-in water.” [more]

Rich People Are Trucking Their Own Water Into Drought-Ridden California