WASHINGTON — Los Angeles is taking some unusual steps to protect its water supply during the drought that has plagued California this year, including one on Monday that has the added benefit of being really cool to watch.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has released 96 million “shade balls” into the reservoir at the Van Norman Complex in Sylmar, the Los Angeles Times reports. They cost about 36 cents each; they protect the water dust, rain, bids and wildlife, and they save about 300 million gallons of water from evaporation — enough to provide drinking water to 8,100 people for a year, Council Mitch Englander tells the Times.

And they look awesome going in:

h/t TIME