Floating plastic balls cast shade to protect water quality; any reduction in evaporation is just a bonus. Image credit: AP/Damian Dovarganes. Black balls will heat up more than white balls would ...

LA's scheme to cover a reservoir under 96 million "shade balls" may not be all it is touted to be, experts told FoxNews.com, with some critics going so far as to refer to the plan as a "potential ...

Department of Water and Power workers release the final 20,000 of 96 million black shade balls during a news conference at the Los Angeles Reservoir on Aug. 10, 2015.

Today, "shade balls" got their moment in the sun. On Monday afternoon, the 20,000 black plastic balls tumbled down the slopes of Los Angeles Reservoir, joining 95,980,000 of their brethren already ...

Business partners C.P. Kheni, left, Vasant Dobaria and Praful Bajaria of Artisan Screen Printing hold some of the 89.6 million black plastic shade balls manufactured at their plant in Azusa.

About 3 million black shade balls covered the Ivanhoe Reservoir in the Silver Lake section of Los Angeles when this photo was taken in September 2009.

Reports of mysterious "shade balls" in Los Angeles reservoirs have been bobbing to the surface. But the black plastic spheres are there for a reason. Partially filled with water, they are now ...

The black, plastic shade balls, which are made in Los Angeles for 36 cents, protect the water against dust, rain, birds, wildlife and chemical reactions caused by the sun.

A new initiative by theLos Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) has taken asurprisingly low-tech approach to water conservation, by covering theLA Reservoir in 96 million black "shade balls." ...

Black plastic balls have been dumped by the millions into L.A.’s reservoirs this summer—and with good reason. Known as shade balls, they play an essential role in protecting the city’s water ...