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Los Angeles Deploys Nifty "Shade Balls" to Protect Water in Dwindling Reservoirs

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The Los Angeles Times reports that 20,000 black plastic balls have been added to the largest reservoir in L.A., the last of millions of "shade balls" meant to bring the city in line with federal water quality standards while helping preserve water in the midst of California's historic drought.

The balls, which have been in use in Los Angeles on a smaller scale since 2008, now cover all of the city's reservoirs, a gently-bobbing line of defense against harmful algae blooms and other chemical reactions brought on by direct sunlight, as well as a barrier to cut down on the loss of water due to evaporation.

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The shade balls are made in California for about 36 cents apiece and are a source of pride for local officials, who characterized them as an innovative cost-saving measure. The city's mayor, who was on hand to throw in a few of the last balls himself, put out a press release to tout their track record during their last several years of use at L.A.'s three smaller reservoirs. From SkyNews:

-Los Angeles Department of Water and Power general manager Marcie Edwards says the project is "a blend of how engineering really meets common sense."
-Other solutions [for meeting federal water regulations] included splitting the reservoir and installing floating covers that would have cost $300 million.
-She added: "We saved a lot of money. We did all the right things."
-Mayor Eric Garcetti says the balls will conserve 300 million gallons of water that would otherwise evaporate every year.
-He added: "While it's meeting the minimum standards, we want to go beyond that and have the healthiest water so we've been spreading these balls everywhere."

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