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Yahoo!Montecito Water District officials are cautiously optimistic that managers of Oprah Winfrey’s two Montecito properties have brought the media mogul’s spigots under control after Winfrey’s water consumption dropped 40 percent between this July and last July. Since Winfrey moved into Montecito, water consumption at her “Promised Land” properties have more than doubled.
In 2007, Winfrey consumed 10.6 million gallons to keep her 40 acres lush. In 2006, she used 10.7 million gallons. Efforts by district managers — struggling to close a 700 acre-foot gap between district supply and demand — to meet with Winfrey or her assistants have gone nowhere fast.
“They won’t see us,” explained water district manager Tom Mosby. “They’re very private, and trying to get in has proved very difficult.”
Mosby is struggling not just with high-profile celebrities like Winfrey, but with thousands of well-heeled customers whom Mosby claims are drastically overwatering their landscaping. He said in the 280 water audits his district has conducted, he’s been able to reduce water use by 10-30 percent with no damage to the plants. For the past two years, Montecitans have been using substantially more water than the district can safely provide — enough to meet the water needs of as many as 700 families, in fact. Both years, the district bought additional state water on the spot water market, this year for an additional cost of $816,000.
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What an idea! I'll try that next time any officials try to talk to me. I'm a very private person, too. I'll just ignore them and see how far I get.
matildajane (anonymous profile)
September 4, 2008 at 8:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
10 million gallons and we are worried about oil ?
lordleadbetter (anonymous profile)
September 4, 2008 at 8:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
So, Ms Winfrey used about 32.53 acre feet of water in 2007 and 19.5 acre feet in 7/07-7/08 at her property! Wow!
What's the average per household property consumption in Montecito? in Santa Barbara? in Santa Barbara County?
What was the consumption of Harold Simmons on Cold Springs Road?
Perhaps if they begin to publicize how much the greedy Montecitans use, it might help curb somewhat the appetite for lawn watering.
(Btw, the average individual American consumption of water is 159 gallons and more than half the world's population lives on 25 gallons or 0.18 acre foot and and 0.005 acre foot.)
at_large (anonymous profile)
September 4, 2008 at 8:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Now you know why they don't want the Miramar developers to have any H2O.
2na (anonymous profile)
September 4, 2008 at 9:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I like the headline...it just needs the word 'bloated' before it.
beachnsb (anonymous profile)
September 4, 2008 at 11:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
(Btw, the average individual American consumption of water is 159 gallons and more than half the world's population lives on 25 gallons or 0.18 acre foot and and 0.005 acre foot.)
That's per day, I meant to add ---
In Palm Springs, for instance, the average family consumption is 1,400 gallons/day or a little more than 1.57 acre feet/year; in the UK it's about 45 gallons/day.
At 1,300 cu ft of water/month, the av. SB city household uses about 325 gallons per day or a little more than a third of an acre foot per year.
at_large (anonymous profile)
September 5, 2008 at 7:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I say let her use as much water as she wants.
But for big wasters like her charge her by the gallon. How about $1 per gallon.
Hopefully she'll move the heck out of town and sell to someone who cares about their community.
opinionator (anonymous profile)
September 5, 2008 at 1:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
woah opinionator! thats a great idea.. either $1/gallon water for their precious lawns, or open up some of that space so our kids can play on it. Nobody is ever out on Harolds lawn, we can start there..
greenbanana (anonymous profile)
September 8, 2008 at 10:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey Oprah---you reading this? Listen, if the Montecito Water District can show you how to keep you stuff green using the much less water, why would you have a problem with that? Answer Mr. Mosby's call. Dr. Laura would say: "go do the right thing." Go ahead, give it a try. Yes, you can..
yesman (anonymous profile)
September 8, 2008 at 11:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
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