Floating Shade Balls are a great option for airport retention ponds. These balls eliminate waterfowl like ducks, geese, and gulls by completely covering the water’s surface to prevent pest water birds from landing. The balls even allow sunlight to maintain the water’s ecosystem. Bacteria and other vegetation growing on the balls is not a problem due to the continuous motion on the surface of the water.
Those simple 4-inches, black plastic balls float on top of the reservoir, blocking much of the sunlight from reaching the water’s surface,
The balls also cut the amount of water lost to evaporation of million gallons annually.
The half-pound balls, each weighted with eight ounces of water, are heavy enough to prevent much sloshing around when the wind blows
Shade balls have been used for water-quality compliance at other DWP open-air reservoirs,
A similar product called bird balls have been used where water collects along airport runways to keeps birds away.
