Shade balls

[Gob]

[TPFKA@W]

I thought this was going to be some bragging thread about your penis.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Why black balls and not white? I would think white would reflect and be better.

[Crackpot]

I was thinking the same thing. Though it may hVe to do with translucency issues and the possibility of reflecting the light into the water.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Aren't there fish and other marine life (frogs, toads, turtles, etc) in that reseviour that are going to be impacted by the balls? Anyone do an environmental impact study on this?

[Gob]

Someone must have, perhaps they consulted our favourite Californian "scientist".

[rubato]

I seem to recall something similar from decades ago used to reduce evaporation from swimming pools.

yrs,
rubato

[Joe Guy]

I think they use black balls because they're bigger...

[MajGenl.Meade]

OK class; who's the comedian with the black balls?

[Gob]

"Eddie Murphy sir!"

[MajGenl.Meade]

"Where's my ice cream?"

[wesw]

you ain t got no ice cream, 'cause your momma s on the welfare......

[BoSoxGal]

Aren't there fish and other marine life (frogs, toads, turtles, etc) in that reseviour that are going to be impacted by the balls? Anyone do an environmental impact study on this?

That's a reservoir for human drinking water and as such is chlorinated already, so it's not a proper habitat for wildlife. One of the purposes of the shade balls, besides preventing water evaporation, is to prevent the chlorine in the water from reacting with sunlight and converting to bromate.

[MajGenl.Meade]

That is interesting. I have never heard of or seen a reservoir that's been chlorinated.

All reservoirs I have visited are full of ducks, fish, snails and other aquatically inclined flora and fauna. Birds poop in them. The wind blows seeds and fungi and who knows what else into the water. Humans boat on many of them and even swim there - perhaps peeing, perhaps not.

All reservoirs I've visited provide water to society via elaborate pumping, filtering and cleaning systems to remove all of the above. Especially the speedboats.

This does not mean that there are no chlorinated reservoirs.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Aren't there fish and other marine life (frogs, toads, turtles, etc) in that reseviour that are going to be impacted by the balls? Anyone do an environmental impact study on this?

That's a reservoir for human drinking water and as such is chlorinated already, so it's not a proper habitat for wildlife. One of the purposes of the shade balls, besides preventing water evaporation, is to prevent the chlorine in the water from reacting with sunlight and converting to bromate.

Somehow I seriously doubt any reservoirs are chlorinated. I pass the Croton Reservoir every time I go to/from my house on the lake in Pa and have even stopped there. Fish/frogs/ducks/geese/turtles/etc are all in that reservoir (built in 1890). Parts of the NY city water system are from the Deleware river tributaries which I doubt are chlorinated.

Chlorinating a large source of water is problematic as chlorine tends to "burn off" in hot, sunny weather. Any chlorination being done is in during the filtration after the water is taken from the source and before it gets to the tap.

No, I think very little to no chemicals are put in reservoirs.

[BoSoxGal]

Sorry, but you are wrong:

The tactic prevents the chlorine in the water (used to disinfect it from pathogens) from reacting with sunlight to become bromate, a suspected carcinogen. It also protects water sources from wildlife and blocks it from the sun to reduce evaporation.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morn ... ave-water/

eta: Chlorine has been added to reservoirs in this country since the early 1900s; it's a very common practice worldwide. Google will help you find the abundant evidence of this truth, from reliable government sources, including the EPA. Hope that helps!

[oldr_n_wsr]

Well I learn something everyday (about that one anyway). Thanks
I do know the reservoirs I have been to (NY city and Pa town water sources) are not chlorinated. As I said, all are full of wildlife.

[oldr_n_wsr]

I've even run my nitro powered RC boat in a few of them.

[Big RR]

The Washington post should be ashamed of itself:

prevents the chlorine in the water (used to disinfect it from pathogens) from reacting with sunlight to become bromate

Chlorine and bromine are distinct elements, and no amount of sunlight will change the chlorine into bromine (or bromate which is a group containing bromine and oxygen). My guess is that they are concerned with bromine contamination in the chlorine solutions added to chlorinate the water (and this is pretty common, even in pool chlorine), and that sunlight can convert the bromide salts into bromate salts; but absent some sort of nuclear reaction, we cannot change one element into another. The WP should know better.

That being said, I did not realize that some reservoirs are chlorinated; I always thought this happened downstream of the reservoir. As oldr said, we can learn something every day.

[rubato]

I don't understand why they are black. If they're black they will absorb more sunlight and heat up more and eventually transfer some of that excess heat to the water underneath.

If the were white they would heat less and I would think be better at reducing evaporation.


yrs,
rubato