On Monday, the L.A. Department of Water and Power released hundreds of thousands of shiny black plastic balls at the top of hill above one of L.A.’s last open air reservoirs. The balls thundered down the slope and into the water, bobbing on the surface like some kind of giant government Chuck E. Cheese attraction.

Although this sounds like a massive April Fools Day prank, it’s actually a potential solution to a very serious problem. The LADWP has already drained two other of its six open air reservoirs because a rare chemical reaction between the sun and the chlorine is tainting the water. The reaction produces bromate, a cancer causing compound. Officials say that the level of bromate in the tainted water wasn’t above federal regulations, but that the water was dumped as a precaution.

The black plastic balls are actually “shade balls” meant to protect the water from the sun without requiring major maintenance, construction, new parts or funds. They are a temporary fix on the Ivanhoe reservoir (which provides water for parts of Downtown, Central and South L.A.) while the other two drained reservoirs are refilled over the next few years.

Source: Examiner article

To see a slide show of the ball drop, go here

Photo courtesy of Echo_29

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