What's Happening in Lake Forest, CA…

A creative solution to water conservation was recently finalized by the mayor at the Los Angeles Reservoir, where 20,000 shade balls were released.

Lake Forest residents, who have no doubt been urged by local government to conserve water via literature supplied by brochure printers, will be pleased to know that officials are doing their part to end waste as well.

Each year, hundreds of millions of gallons of water in the reservoir are lost to the atmosphere due to evaporation. A plan to release a total of 96 million black plastic balls into the reservoir to cover the water’s surface at the Van Norman Complex in Sylmar was formulated to prevent this evaporation.

Each ball cost the city 36¢ and altogether the plan cost the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power $34.5m. While that may sound like a lot of money, the project is expected to save 300 million gallons of water from evaporating per year. Additionally, the balls protect the 175-acre reservoir’s contents from chemical reactions caused by sun, from birds and wildlife, and from dust.

The shade balls will cut back on the chemical treatment required to prevent algae growth in the reservoir and, according to Councilman Mitch Englander, save enough water to provide a year's worth of drinking water for 8,100 people. Notably, the $34.5m saved is $250 million less than the next cheapest solution considered.