Los Angeles Is Considering Publicly 'Drought Shaming' Excessive Water Users

(Rubs hands together in excitement.)

California Governor Jerry Brown has ordered California’s cities to cut water usage by 25 percent over 2013 levels to battle the ongoing drought crisis, and some cities are doing better than others. Beverly Hills was fined (albeit only $61,000, an amount that even individual residents of one of the richest cities in the world wouldn’t sorely miss) on Thursday for failing to meet water standards, and now the city of Los Angeles has taken a series of measures to curb the excessive water use of its residents.

According to The Guardian:

Earlier this month, LA councilman Paul Koretz had a motion approved that gave the city’s department of water and power 30 days to recommend measures to curb excessive water use, up to and including shutting off supplies. According to the Los Angeles Times, the city council is also considering stiffening the rules on water conservation with “substantial” fines for excessive consumption.

The Guardian reports that officials are considering publicly naming the city’s biggest water wasters, something that nosy neighbors have been doing unofficially for some time. It’s an extreme measure, but one that has been successful in other drought-prone states:

Bronson Mack, a spokesman for the water authority of neighbouring southern Nevada, said the publication of the names of water-wasters in his state had often proved an effective way of changing water use habits. Individuals were notified by the authorities when their names were about to be released in the public records, he said.

“Some people tell us they did not know they were on the list, and we can then work with them to help them get their water use down,” Mack told the Guardian. “It’s a who’s who of influential people. Often, people are shocked at how much water they use.”

Turns out that in 2013, southern Nevada/Las Vegas Valley’s list of the top 100 water users included boxer and known domestic abuser Floyd Mayweather, who was using enough water to supply 108 homes. The list also included Prince Jefri Bolkiah, the brother of the Sultan of Brunei, whose water use dipped considerably after the information went public.

The Guardian reports that it’s unclear whether the city would publish its own list of offenders or just make the data available to public records requests; the latter type of requests in California are usually blocked.