Shade Balls Research Paper

Shade balls are black little balls made out of polythene and the same plastic that is used in a gallon jug milk container. These four inch balls are filled with water. The concept of using these balls is not new, in fact, this process has been going in California for years, since California is in a terrible drought. A total of ninety six Million balls was used in this project to cover the Los Angeles Reservoir. The concept of using these balls comes from the fact that airports use similar balls to cover the ponds nearby to keep the birds away. Most people may think since they are black, it will absorb heat and change the temperature of the water, but according to Allison Walton it will not change the temperature of the air, nor the temperature of the water. A video, from MSNBC, states that the balls serve three purposes; the material and color stops evaporation, the shade

The tremendous cost of this idea helped to reinforce the idea of shade balls. The balls are black to protect from ultraviolet light, which will keep the water from evaporating. By blocking the sun, it will slow down the growth of the microorganisms and algae. Without sunlight, the algae will stop growing, which will save more money in treatments to purify the water from the algae.

At a cost of thirty four point five million dollars, people question the decision to complete this project. NationalGeographic.com says the project will reduce the evaporation by eighty five to ninety percent. This reduction will save three hundred million gallons of drinkable water, enough for 8,1000 people. Kate Herzog, an aggregator, says the project was not completely about evaporation, but to stop the formation of carcinogen called Bronte. She states that the three hundred million gallons of water saved at today’s cost are about two million dollars versus the 34,5 million to complete this