--- title: Shade Balls Graphic Shows How Reservoirs Are Being Helped description: In an effort to protect the city's water supply, millions of small black balls have been dumped into the Los Angeles Reservoir. canonical: https://time.com/3998554/shade-balls-graphic/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-08-14T19:02:46.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:43:07.671Z article:section: Science og:title: This Graphic Shows How Plastic Balls Are Saving L.A. From Drought og:description: In an effort to protect the city's water supply, millions of small black balls have been dumped into the Los Angeles Reservoir. og:url: https://time.com/3998554/shade-balls-graphic/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Graphic Shows How Plastic Balls Are Saving L.A. From Drought twitter:description: In an effort to protect the city's water supply, millions of small black balls have been dumped into the Los Angeles Reservoir. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # This Graphic Shows How Plastic Balls Are Saving L.A. From Drought > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=fb00dfaf-60f1-466f-9fc7-b687f8837e28&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/subscribe?i=fb00dfaf-60f1-466f-9fc7-b687f8837e28&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's climate and energy newsletter? Future Proof is TIME's weekly climate and energy newsletter, written by senior correspondent Justin Worland. It connects the energy transition to the decisions reshaping business, technology, policy and markets. It reaches 40,000 subscribers with a 34.2% open rate and a 2.1% click rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Los Angeles Throws 96M Balls At California's Drought Problem [Watch (HLS stream): Los Angeles Throws 96M Balls At California's Drought Problem](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/7Yn2cIV0.m3u8) (1:35)  _Published 2015-08-13. Millions of spheres, 4 inches in diameter, are meant to slow water evaporation from Los Angeles reservoirs by simply floating on the water._ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) and [Heather Jones](https://time.com/author/heather-jones/) Aug 14, 2015 7:02 PM UTC by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) and [Heather Jones](https://time.com/author/heather-jones/) Aug 14, 2015 7:02 PM UTC The city of Los Angeles has dumped millions of small black balls into the city’s reservoirs in an effort to protect the city’s water supply. The “shade balls” are intended to maintain good water quality and protect against evaporation. It’s one solution to the state of California’s record-breaking drought, and could save the city millions in both water and costs. “As the drought continues, it has never been more important to focus on innovative ways to maintain the highest quality drinking water for our 4 million residents, Los Angeles City Council Mitchell Englander said in a [statement](http://www.ladwpnews.com/go/doc/1475/2578586/MAYOR-GARCETTI-ANNOUNCES-COMPLETION-OF-INNOVATIVE-SHADE-BALL-COVER-PROJECT-AT-LOS-ANGELES-RESERVOIR). But how do they work? Take a look at the graphic below and find out:  ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3998554/shade-balls-graphic/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3998554/shade-balls-graphic/"},"headline":"This Graphic Shows How Plastic Balls Are Saving L.A. 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