The sea of 96 MILLION plastic balls that LA hopes will save it from drought

Los Angeles has turned to more unusual methods to protect the city’s water, with no apparent relief to California’s record-breaking drought. Recently in Sylmar, California officials released 96 million floating ‘shade balls’ into the 75-acre Los Angeles Reservoir. The black plastic balls are designed to prevent 300 million gallons of water from evaporating each year as well as help protect the water against dust, rain, chemicals and wildlife.



The balls work by floating on the surface and blocking the sun’s rays. They also prevent the chemical reaction that creates the carcinogenic compound bromate as well as protecting against evaporation. For most people it is unlikely to be cause problems because of exposure to bromate which is created from naturally-occurring bromide in water. But some people who ingest large amounts of bromate have suffered nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. The ball also prevents contamination because of birds, animals and other since it forms a protective barrier across the surface. Dr Brian White, a now-retired Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP biologist), was the first person to think of using shade balls for water quality.

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