California uses millions of plastic balls to prevent evaporation

Water reservoir in Los Angeles is filled with millions of black plastic balls. The balls sit on top of the water and block the sunlight to prevent evaporation and algae growth. California is suffering from severe drought and is in desperate need to save water.

Introducing the small plastic balls is improving the amount of water and the quality of water. “The balls, really they’re intended for three reasons: they help to cut down on evaporation, that’s helped us save water, and then it also helps to prevent algae from growing in the reservoir, so it improves our water quality and then finally as a side benefit, it helps keep the birds off the surface and birds do their thing and that causes a problem,” said the water district’s general manager David Pedersen to the International Business Times.

Useful technology
The plastic balls are expected to save some 300m gallons of water annually. The life expectancy of the balls was approximately 20 years. The solution used in California could also be useful for reservoirs in Europe. Evaporation is causing enormous water losses in Southern European countries.