Mesmerizing video of thousands of 'shade balls' being added to LA water reservoir



LOS ANGELES -- California officials are getting ballsy about fighting the state's drought.

On Tuesday, officials released thousands of "shade balls" to protect the water from dust, chemicals, wildlife and -- most importantly -- evaporation.

"LA just completed a project at the LA Reservoir to save 300 million gallons of water by deploying shade balls on its surface, saving our city over $250 million dollars while keeping our water clean & safe,"Mayor Eric Garcetti posted on Facebook.

The 95,980,000 balls cost 36 cents each. The balls were the final step in a $34 million water quality protection project.

Los Angeles is the first city in the U.S. to use shade balls in its water system.