The public’s opinions on bad bird balls in Ivanhoe Reservoir.

Really, I couldn’t say it better myself! Reading what some other blogs had to say about the 6 million bird balls thrown into the reservoir Monday, to the tune of $2 million, I was most impressed with the commenters themselves! Take a peek.

A commenter over at Curbed LA had something interesting to say:

The balls are black because UV radiation won’t deteriorate them. White would absorb less heat but you are also getting an insulating effect from the air trapped inside the balls. Like putting a big blanket on the lake. Unfortunately it will likely insulate the lake in the wrong way… keeping the heat trapped in the lake. These balls are used in wastewater/sewage facilities to keep water warm in winter so bacteria can break down the crap faster.

Another said:

Seems odd that black would be the best color for the balls. Black will absorb the most heat and transfer it to the water, as opposed to the reflective property of water’s natural surface. If they cause algae growth, at least we won’t be able to see it.

I liked this one:

So, the reservoir has been there for about 100 years, and the city is just realizing that birds might land in it?

and this:

So the DWP can’t figure out how to keep the water balanced? Did they flunk Chemistry 101?

And let’s not forget my own clever commenters from my earlier post. dubby talks about the heat factor:

And how will we dispose of all this plastic? Aren’t our landfills impacted enough?
Umm and what about Heat Island Effect – did they just essentially create a huge asphalt parking lot?

Patrick brings up the heat and bacteria, too. I think we have a quorum on this now…:

I have never seen plastic that can stand up to extended exposure to the sun, even fence posts exposed to the sun eventually become brittle and break, pool deck furniture, etc. I cannot imagine that these balls will be different.
My big question is what will the effect be on bacteria and other microorganisms be if the temperature of the lake is raised by 10 to 15 degrees year-round? I would imagine that these balls will have the same effect as a black pool cover, reducing evaporation (cooling), collecting and trapping the heat from the sun.
Being in the tire industry myself, I know I would not want carbon black used in any product that was going to come close to my mouth or that I might breath in.
This whole idea seems ludicrous…

From LA Now, the LA Times blog:

Super90: “I’m with Red. What type of plastic are they using? What possible chemicals could leach out of the balls when the sun heats them up? Any BPA? And why didn’t they use white or silver balls? And are they aware that balls won’t do the job of blocking all the sunlight. So what they’re shooting for is merely less cancer-causing bromate? All in all, this seem pretty stupid.”

Been There Done That says:” This is not going to go well. I know they want black to keep the sun from reacting with bromines, but now they have created a top notch solar collector with a great heat sink under it (the water) and are going to see what happens when skyrocketing water temps deplete the oxygen. It’s not going to be pretty.”

But Nate Weaver thinks that we are underestimating the think tank of dwp: “I love how there’s a peanut gallery of commenters here assuming the people put in charge of this did not think of this or that. All issues that would come to mind in literally 15 seconds of consideration…there’s the immediate assumption that it wasn’t covered. It’s an insult to the folks that spend their entire careers in planning, development, and conservation issues. You’re not necessarily the smartest person in the room here (Red, Super90, etc) so stop point fingers and making assumptions.”

And in another post at LA Now:

Ryan McCarthy asks: “With the recent news stories about polycarbonate plasctic containing harmful chemicals that slowly leach out of the plastic into water, this makes me wonder whether unexpected side effects like this were carefully considered before the decision was made to use the plastic balls….1) What is the photodegredation rate of the plastic, and what breakdown products can be released into the water as UV light breaks apart the polymer?”

And David N sums it up nicely here:

“The brain trust at DWP and Council have scored once again.
Sustainability – oops, the balls aren’t recyclable
Human Health – oops, guess they haven’t read about the linkage between sun-exposed platics and carcinogens
Wildlife – oops, the balls interfere with wildlife using the reservoir.
Nice job…”

No, really YOU commenters did a nice job here! Love these comments with many things I never thought to ask. And thanks for writing this post for me, guys!