96 million plastic balls prevent drought and save countless lives
- 96 million four-inch plastic balls were poured into a reservoir
- It looked like a lot of fun but actually had a serious reason behind it
- To stop the water beneath from evaporating during a drought
Published on Feb 19, 2024 at 8:25 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Feb 21, 2024 at 7:30 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Alessandro Renesis
This literal ball pool might look like fun, but it actually has a very serious reason behind it: preventing drought.
A pilot project at the E.M. Johnson Water Treatment Plant, it was a move enforced by the city of Raleigh, North Carolina, in the US, as it faced a water shortage.
The move is designed to prevent water evaporating in the height of summer – as well as algae growth caused by sunlight.
Algae can affect the taste and odor in drinking water – but is very difficult and expensive to treat with chemicals.
Referred to as ‘Shade Balls’, they’re lightweight, inexpensive and the four-inch plastic toys will eventually cover the entire reservoir.
In other news on thew waterways of America, $540-billion worth of ‘white gold’ has been discovered beneath a California lake
That amount of lithium is enough to power more than 382 million batteries for electric vehicles.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
