Reflecting Pool Turns Green Despite Trump‑Led $14.2M Renovation Effort

Topline

The Trump administration finished a $14.2‑million overhaul of the National Mall’s Reflecting Pool last week, aiming to tint the water “American Flag Blue,” yet within days the familiar algae bloom turned the pool a vivid green.

Key Facts

Images and video showed National Park Service staff in waders scooping algae with hand tools on Sunday, but the pool remained green in photographs taken the following day.

“The National Park Service is maintaining the newly finished Reflecting Pool,” said Katie Martin, Interior Department spokesperson, in a statement to Forbes, adding that previous administrations had not properly addressed the algae problem.

Martin noted that the administration had added nanobubblers, which she said eradicated the algae bloom that has affected each pool reopening since 1922.

She said the algae was dead and was being vacuumed up as crews worked, and she thanked President Donald Trump for “cleaning up the reflecting pool for good.”

The Interior Department earlier told CNN that the visible algae was residual from dormant supply lines during the renovation and that its reappearance was part of the normal startup process.

Key Background

During his second term, Trump has pushed several initiatives to reshape Washington’s appearance, from demolishing the White House East Wing for a new ballroom to proposing a grand triumphal arch near Arlington Cemetery. In April, officials drained the Reflecting Pool to repaint it “American Flag Blue,” a step Trump highlighted to reporters. Public records indicate the administration allocated $14.2 million for the work, awarding a no‑bid contract to a company that had previously renovated his Sterling, Virginia golf club, according to the New York Times. On June 4, Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced the renovations were complete and that water would start flowing back into the pool, a timing Burgum described as fitting for the nation’s 250th birthday on July 4.

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