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Drought-Stricken California’s Wealthy Pay Up to Keep Lawns Lush

Water pours out of a hose after a worker washes the sidewalk in front of a business in downtown Los Angeles, California, U.S. on Friday, July 18, 2014. — Water pours out of a hose after a worker washes the sidewalk in front of a business in downtown Los Angeles, California, U.S. on Friday, July 18, 2014.
Photographer: Kevork Djansezian/Bloomberg

By

Esmé E. Deprez

April 15, 2015, 9:00 AM UTC

Mandatory water rationing struck California’s celebrity-filled enclave of Montecito last year and, within weeks, residents created a market based on avoidance.

Gardens stayed lush and lawns verdant as citizens paid tanker trucks to deliver thousands of gallons to homes in the seaside suburb of Santa Barbara. They drilled in back yards, driving the county’s tally of new wells to a record. Some simply paid fines for exceeding allocations, padding the water district’s budget by more than $2 million.