A year after the Los Angeles Reservoir was transformed into a massive black ball pit in an effort to preserve water and combat draught, the L.A. Department of Water and Power says the treatment was a success.
In August 2015, officials in L.A. dropped 96 million "shade balls" into the reservoir. Part of an initiative to combat California's drought, the shade balls were used to block out sunlight and UV rays that promote algae growth and slow down evaporation. It would also prevent chemical reactions from triggering, deter birds and other wildlife and protect the water from dust.
According to Business Insider, the LADWP says the balls have been a successful alternative to updating the reservoir, which would have cost $300 million. The shade balls treatment cost $34.5 million.
“Construction was infeasible, as the immense surface area of the space would have required two separate covers and a division dam,” LADWP Director of Water Operations Richard Harasick said in a statement obtained by Business Insider.
Though they were successful, the LADWP says this will be the final use of this technology in the department’s system.
The 175-acre Los Angeles Reservoir holds 3.3 billion gallons of water, enough to supply the city for three weeks.
(Source – https://weather.com/news/news/los-angeles-reservoir-shade-balls-success)
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