From a distance, you would think the Los Angeles Reservoir is one big dirty body of water, but it's actually black for a reason.
The government officials of Los Angeles have released the last 20 million of the targeted 96 million black plastic balls, fondly called 'shade balls' on social media, into the city's water reservoir facility. The reservoir is the source of the area's water supply. The release of the balls hopes to prevent the growth of algae in the water and stop the occurrence of a chemical reaction between sunlight and chlorine. The balls will also help to minimize evaporation and to maintain the cleanliness of the reservoir from dust and critters.
According to Newser, the plastic balls cost 36 cents each for a total of $34.5 million, which the city describes as a "cost- effective way to reduce evaporation each year by nearly 300 million gallons, enough to provide drinking water for 8,100 people for a full year."
Business Insider reported that the balls have been created by XavierC, a company that calls the balls as "conservation balls" for helping keep water bodies in its clean state. These balls are expected to last 10 years.
The city government of the bustling California metropolis started the practice in 2008 when one of its reservoirs was found to have levels of the chemical bromate that are much higher than the normal levels. Since then, they have sought the help of XavierC in filling three other L.A. reservoirs with shadeballs.
Social media has erupted with various reactions to the shadeballs. Bloomberg was able to compile some of the most popular responses, most of which are jokes by social media users.
On Twitter, @pourmecoffee writes: "20,000 shade balls released into L.A. reservoir. #shadeballs #shade #balls Follow @pourmecoffee for shade balls news."
@newconfucius also says: "I cannot get enough of local LA newscasters saying #ShadeBalls"
