Ski Resort Reduces Water Evaporation 90%

conservation balls covering Mt Baldy Ski Lifts reservior

by | Dec 3, 2013

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conservation balls covering Mt Baldy Ski Lifts reserviorCalifornia’s Mt Baldy Ski Lifts says it’s the first ski area in the world to install hollow plastic conservation balls in its reservoir (pictured) to reduce water evaporation by up to 90 percent.

XavierC supplied the water-filled conservation balls that are 4 inches in diameter. The balls act as a floating cover to decrease reservoir evaporation, which Mt Baldy Ski Lifts president Ron Ellingson calls the “water equivalent of money going up in smoke” and says costs up to $120,000 a year.

The southern California ski resort operates a 10 million gallon reservoir used mainly for snow making during the ski season. The large reservoir is fed by a smaller 1 million gallon reservoir further down the mountain. This reservoir is filled from natural underground wells.

The expense to pump water up the mountain from the smaller to the larger reservoir is $10,000 a month. This ski resort says this amount would be significantly higher if it had to pay for the water.

The conservation balls re-arrange themselves to fit any size and shape reservoir. As water levels drop the conservation balls accommodate the situation by stacking on themselves. When water level rise, the balls return to single layer on the surface.

Ellingson says unlike other types of reservoir covers, once the conservation balls are installed they are maintenance free.

XavierC has also secured a $2.4 million contract to supply conservation balls to the L.A. Department of Water and Power for use in the Los Angeles Reservoir.

In other water management efforts, Sainsbury’s supermarket in Leicester, which opened last week, is one of two “triple-zero” stores the retailer has just opened. It emits zero CO2 from all operational energy used, zero waste goes to landfill, and the store has zero impact on the water usage of the local catchment area because of its “water-neutral” status, the UK grocery chain says.

The second triple-zero supermarket, which last month opened in Weymouth Gateway, is also water neutral, meaning 100 percent of its water demand will be met through water-efficient infrastructure and offsetting partnerships.

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