Ivanhoe Lake- Silver Lake Reservoir

US is best know to use plastic for various uses. In December 2007, the DWP announced that the Silver Lake and Elysian reservoirs had both become contaminated with unusually high levels of the cancer-causing chemical bromate, and were immediately isolated.The reservoirs were both drained over several weeks in March 2008, and refilled in May 2008. Two months later, 400,000 black hollow plastic "shade balls" were dumped in the body of water, in the hopes to reduce the likelihood of the sunlight-fueled bromate. Los Angeles water officials discovered that several open reservoirs had elevated levels of bromate. Bromate, a carcinogen, forms when sunlight combines with bromide and chlorine. Ah ha, an innovative solution! This June, the Ivanhoe Reservoir was covered with millions of 4 inch, black, high-density polyethylene vapor control balls.

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” 

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.”

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”. Each unit costs 34 cents for a total bill of around $ 2 million.

The reservoirs are owned and maintained by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP), and currently they provide water to 600,000 homes in downtown and South Los Angeles. At capacity, it holds 795 million gallons of water. The Silver Lake Reservoir's water resources will be replaced by an underground reservoir in Griffith Park, slated for completion in January 2015.
The reservoir is surrounded by several recreational areas, including a dog park. nursery school and basketball court on the south side of the lake. There is also a jogging track, which stretches 2.2 miles around the reservoir.

Places to see

Silver Lake Reservoir - A hearty food place by the lake.

House Tours- Silver Lake has some of the most intricately designed hourses and a tour is carried out every few months. The LA conservancy will help with reservations.

The famous flight of stairs in Laurel and Hardy's film 'The Music Box' are located between lower Descanso Drive and Vendome Street, as it winds up and around the hill.

One can also visit Hollywood which lies to the East of Silver Lake.


Duration/ Accomodation/ Directions



The total time required to visit Silver Lake area is about 3-4 hours. Accomodation is best found in LA city area where hotels and motels are abundant. Regular Buses are available to the Silver Lake area.
 
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Lake_Reservoir
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