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Black Balls In
The Los Angeles Water Reservoir
What Are 96 Million Black Balls
Doing In The Los Angeles Water Reservoir?
Rajat Lunawat
Water crisis had hit the world
hard and as a result, people have come up with some unique solutions for it.
Shade balls are one of these
solutions.
While surfing the internet every
day, we come across a lot of weird but exciting stuff. These things provide us
with knowledge that can be useful in our everyday lives.
I recently came across one such
piece of information that left me simply amazed — Shade balls.
About 96 million of these little
balls were added to the Las Virgenes reservoir near Los Angeles in 2015 and
have caught the eye of several environmental enthusiasts since then.
At first, I thought it was a
one-time gimmick for some world record or a scene for some movie, but to
my astonishment, these plastic balls are now as much a part of the reservoir as
the water in it!
So, what are these spherical items
and why have they been added to the water? Let’s take a closer look.
What are shade
balls?
Shade balls are nothing more
than small spheres made from plastic, partially filled with water, that are
capable of floating on the surface of water bodies, such as reservoirs and
lakes.
Initially known as bird
balls, they were introduced to prevent birds from landing on ponds or lakes
that were intoxicated by industrial and mining operations.
However, these little plastic
balls were soon being used for a variety of reasons, as we will
explain below.
The shade balls are made from
high-density polyethene (or polyethylene), the same material used for making
bottles and packets of milk.
Each ball is about 4 inches in
diameter and weighs about 240 to 260 grams.
Carbon black is added to these
balls to protect them from the ultraviolet radiations of the sun, rendering
them a dark black color.
The cost of these plastic
spheres is about 36 cents each, yet they are expected to save $250 million for
the Los Angele Department of Water.
What is the purpose of shade
balls?
Amongst their various
environmental uses, the most important is slowing down the evaporation of
water.
Although they
are available in multiple colors, black shade balls are the most preferred
ones, as they reflect the sunlight falling on them (black is an excellent
reflector of light), thus reducing the evaporation of water by a measurable
amount.
In addition to lowering
evaporation, they also prevent the growth of algae and reduce UV radiation
byproducts from contaminating the water.
These balls are also used to
prevent bird aircraft strike hazards (BASH).
Airports generally endorse
having a drainage pond or a retention basin, which is basically a small
artificial lake with some vegetation and a permanent pool of water.
The excess rainwater throughout
the airport is directed to this basin, preventing flooding of the runways and
downstream erosion.
However, these ponds also
attract birds and other airborne animals, all of which present a risk for
collision with the aircraft.
Shade balls cover the surface
of these ponds, preventing the birds from hovering around and risking their
lives, as well as the safety and integrity of the airplanes.
Why were the balls used in Los
Angeles?
Most of you are
likely thinking that the purpose of releasing these balls into the LA
reservoir was to protect the water from the California sun and reduce
water loss via evaporation. However, there’s more to it than that.
Shade balls being dumped in the
LA reservoir
The reservoir is the primary
source of drinking water for the citizens of Los Angeles and the surrounding
regions.
However, the water that enters
this reservoir contains bromide. Bromide (Br_) is a completely safe
mineral and is quite common in saltwater; it also almost impossible to separate
entirely from water due to its small size.
When this ion comes in contact
with the rays of the sun, it undergoes a chemical reaction that leads to the
formation of bromate (BrO3—), which is carcinogenic,
i.e., it causes cancer.
This reaction is catalyzed by
the presence of chlorine, which is also completely harmless to humans, but
necessary for disinfecting the water from any kind of bacteria or other
diseases.
Of the three reactants that
cause this unwanted reaction, the authorities found removing sunlight to be the
most comfortable and viable option. Hence, shade balls entered the
picture.
Are these balls really “saving”
water?
A team of researchers at the
Imperial College of London (Imperial College),
along with their colleagues from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT), recently released their findings on this subject, which claimed that the
shade balls might actually use up more water than they save.
As per their research, during
the two years in the lake, the balls saved 1.7 million cubic meters of water,
as compared to the 2.9 million cubic meters used in their production.
Yes, you read that, right!
These balls require water to be produced.
High-density polyethene is
manufactured using oil and natural gas, and the production of these resources
requires a considerable amount of water.
Based on various studies, the
balls may take up to 3 years to save the amount of water that was used in their
production.
This is not meant to discourage
the use of these balls, but simply to point out that their utility might
not be feasible everywhere.
Also, we cannot forget that
this type of work is not a permanent solution, as these balls only come with a
certain life span, after which they will have to be replaced with new
balls, which will again require a massive amount of water throughout the
production process.
A Final Word
Whether these balls provide a
long-term solution to the problem of water loss from evaporation and
contamination is something only research and time will be able to
validate.
Although their potential
benefits are enormous, the drawbacks cannot be overlooked.
The use of this quick-fix
technology has brought several critical question before us: Where are we going
with this?
We seem to be solving one
problem somewhere and creating several new problems elsewhere.
While dumping these polymeric
spheres into the water, did anyone think about the birds that rely on the
reservoir for their water supply or did we simply presume that, as humans,
we’re the only ones that deserve to lay claim to it?
Regardless of where you stand
on the issue we’ve presented here, it is clear that something must be done to
protect our water supply and environment, so unique ideas like this one
tend to stand out!
Rajat is
an undergraduate student of BTech at BITS Pilani (India). He likes all kinds of
sports and has represented his college for Athletics several times. He also
loves to sing and play the guitar. He enjoys watching movies and likes to read
about financial management and the stock market.
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| A single shade ball |
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Offshore oil mining requires tremendous water
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