Trend: Stopping Evaporation. From Shade Balls to Floating Covers

California has a drought yet to quenched by El Nino. In August Los Angeles covered water reservoirs with plastic balls. 

These shade balls prevented water evaportation from L.A.’s water reservoirs by at least 85-90%. 3 Months later, the shade balls are being replaced.

Why are the shade balls being replaced?

• Federal rules mandate that all bodies of drinking water open to the air be covered.
• Shade balls did not completely create a barrier.
• Floating covers do provide a complete barrier

There’s a catch, at the largest reservoir, it is too costly to completely cover it, but the cost effective shade balls:

• reduce algea
• have a lifespan of 10 years
• require almost no maintenance aside from occasional rotation of the shade balls
• prevents sunlight from causing a chemical reaction that creates bromate

governing | L.A. Says Goodbye to ‘Shade Balls’