Watch 96 million 'shade balls' pour into LA reservoir

boing
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Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/05/11/watch-96-million-shade-balls.html

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https://i.gifer.com/embedded/download/1j12.gif(image larger than 4096KB)

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It takes a lot of balls to throw shade on the Los Angeles reservoir.

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25 years from now we will realize what a bad idea this was.

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A 90% reduction in evaporation losses is not the intended effect, but I’m sure it’s appreciated in a water-stressed environment like southern California.

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Shade ball, that’s some kind of a dance, isn’t it?

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You would think a big floating tarp would accomplish the same thing.

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Way less amusing, though.

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There’s no choice in this world that isn’t the least of many evils, and many times we can’t even do that right.

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Yes. It’s thought to be seductive by certain members of the white middle class persuasion.

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This is totally cool and interesting.

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Fiiiine, video, prove me wrong. :stuck_out_tongue:

And yeah, no way this could have unintended consequences. naaaaah.

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They mentioned lots of alternatives in the video, including tarps.

The balls are better and cheaper.

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Doesn’t raise temp; actually lowers it.

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You should watch the video. They explain this.

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Yeah, that was my first thought. But polyethylene has been around for more than a century so there aren’t really any surprises likely and really, the worst aspect of this is that it’s plastic and it wouldn’t be great to have it break down into water sources. (But polyethylene is slightly biodegradable as it can be eaten by certain bacteria, so…)

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Yes. I don’t know what the down side will be, but give it 25 years and we will surely find out.

It always happens when humans have a bright idea to improve something.

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Is this the Los Angeles Reservoir, or a Los Angeles Reservoir?

They did put a cover over the Palos Verdes Reservoir (which is a Los Angeles Reservoir, hence my question), but as an antibacterial measure:

http://blogs.dailybreeze.com/history/2014/05/10/getting-to-the-bottom-of-the-palos-verdes-reservoir/

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Ever try shopping for a 96-acre tarp at Home Depot?

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