Bromate is a chimical compound that can be found in drinking water. This substance is highly dangerous for human beings since it is declared to be carcinogen.  A controversy in 2004, forced Coca-Cola to recall its Dasani water bottles of the market in the UK after alarming levels of bromate were found in the water.  This embarrassing media controversy ruined Dasani’s corporate image in the Uk.  In 2008, the bromate controversies strike again, this time with the drinking water of the Invahoe reservoir in Los Angeles.  In order to counter react to the problem, the LA Department of Water and Power dumped close to 400 000 black plastic balls into the lake. Lake Invahoe was built artificially by humans in order to provide drinking water to the community since potable water was lacking in the city.

Amused citizens were staring at the lake as the black balls rolled rapidly down the hill and quickly transformed the blue lake into a completely black canvas.  In order to protect this important potable water supply the water needed to be shaded absolutely “because when sunlight mixes with the bromide and chlorine in Ivanhoe’s water, the carcinogen bromate forms, said Pankaj Parekh, DWP’s director for water quality compliance” (Source: http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/10/local/me-balls10). Bromide is normally present in ground while chlorine is used to neutralize bacteria. If you add sunlight to the mix, the combo becomes dangerous for humankind. In theory the rates of bromate were not high enough to be official dangerous for the health of the local citizens, yet the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power still preferred to take the extra precaution.

It took around half an hour to unload the black balls “from 190 giant bags into the 10-acre, 58-million gallon water resevoir that serves 600, 000 people in downtown and South L.A.” (Source: http://gizmodo.com/5015148/400000-bouncy-black-balls-invade-reservoir-to-save-los-angeles-from-cancer-water ).  The only alternative in order to clean out the lake would be to drain the entire wet land in order to fully clean the bottom of the lake to remove all traces and bromate particles. Until this longer and more complicated alternative is put into action, the black balls are a temporary solution for the next couple of years.  The black balls are non-toxic and UVA resistant insofar they won’t melt, degrade or release chemical substances when exposed to sunlight.  Each little black ball is shipped directly from Allentown, Pennsylvania. “The amount of balls needed is so large that ‘Orange Products’, has dedicated itself to solely producing the required balls for Invanhoe Reservoir” (Source: http://greenlineblog.com/2008/08/ivanhoe-reservoir-solving-a-problem-illustrating-another/ ).  Each unit costs 34 cents for a total bill of around $ 2 million.  These balls are also commonly called “bird balls” for the simple reason that they are usually used as a netting to keep birds away from farms or manufacturing facilities. The balls are also a way to cover a land with pollution or industrial waste in order to prevent birds and other animals from landing on the surface and getting intoxicated. In addition, the balls prevent water evaporation in a somewhat “natural” fashion.

Environmentalists and the local population are not very pleased about their lake turning black. The owners of gorgeous houses and villas by the lake fear that their properties would lose value on the market. Environmentalists claim that the black balls haven’t been fully tested and that their long-term effects on the environment and the fish could be harmful. Opinions online seem to proclaim that these bird balls haven’t solved a problem but only created an additional one. Only time will tell if the consequences of this initiative are positive or negative for the eco-system of the lake and the potable water.

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