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Researchers Test Coating Reservoirs to Save Water

Researchers are reviving the old idea of saving water by coating reservoirs with a thin barrier of nontoxic chemicals to slow down evaporation.

by Carol Flake

Workers cut open bags of WaterSavr, an evaporation suppressant, to apply the powder to Lake Arrowhead. WaterSavr's manufacturers claim it will save 30 percent of water that would have otherwise evaporated from the reservoir.
Credit: Neena Satija

Researchers are reviving the old idea of saving water by coating reservoirs with a thin barrier of nontoxic chemicals to slow down evaporation. Further tests are continuing, following a field test last summer in Lake Arrowhead, near Wichita Falls, that yielded results that some say are promising but others say are inconclusive. (Nature)

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