The balls are expected to save over 300 million gallons of water from evaporating per year.
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The plastic balls, which are hollow and contain potable water, are supposed to be inert. “They took in close to 1 million balls and we’re working with several others including a waste water treatment plant in Southern California”. But they don’t. Additionally, if “Shade Balls” suppress 300 million gallons from evaporating as is claimed, then Los Angeles must also be evaporating over 14 ft. from reservoir surfaces and experiencing average temperatures of over 90 degrees Fahrenheit annually (U.S. Climate Data says it’s closer to 63.8 degrees).
The agency tasked with protecting Los Angeles’ water supply is the first in the country to use “shade balls”. The plastic balls cost $0.36 each, and in total 96 million balls were released throughout three other joining reservoirs, in addition to surrounding areas, including a reservoir in the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, which introduced “shade balls” back in June, according to another article. What if Los Angeles did their homework on this project (they’d save $15.3 million and save more water). Garcetti said the orbs, which are manufactured by minority, women-owned facilities in Los Angeles County, require no parts, labor or maintenance aside from occasional rotation.
“As the drought continues, it has never been more important to focus on innovative ways to maintain the highest quality drinking water for our four million residents”, said council member Mitchell Englander.
Marty Adams, LADWP Senior Assistant General Manager of the Water System, stated in the news release that “not only do the balls protect the water and reduce evaporation losses, but they have also allowed us to virtually eliminate the need to add disinfecting chemicals directly into the LA Reservoir, saving approximately $28,000 each month in chlorine costs and reducing the amount of chemicals needed on hand”.
Richard Harasick, director of water operation at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, described the effectiveness of this equipment for quality and saving water.
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These black balls will float on the water’s surface without releasing any chemicals, and help block sunlight and UV rays.
