Trump’s Reflecting Pool Renovation Faces Immediate Algae Resurgence After $14.2M Upgrade]

President Trump prioritized restoring the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial to pristine condition, but algae blooms quickly undermined those efforts. Days after the Trump administration completed a $14.2 million renovation project featuring dark blue waterproofing material on the pool’s concrete floor, algal growth rendered parts of the surface-green by Sunday and Monday.

The pool had appeared transformed following the renovation, which addressed persistent leaks and algal issues ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations. However, consecutive days of hot and humid weather accelerated algae proliferation, reversing the improvement.

An Interior Department spokeswoman indicated the installation of a water-treatment system called a nanobubbler successfully resolved the algae problem. “Due to deploying the advanced nanobubbler technology, the algae is dead and being vacuumed up as we speak,” spokeswoman Katie Martin stated in an email. She attributed previous algae growth to residual organisms in dormant supply lines during renovations.

The renovation involved no-bid contracts awarded under emergency provisions to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a Virginia-based firm responsible for sealing concrete joints and applying the blue waterproofing material, and Ohio-based Greenwater Services, which upgraded the water purification infrastructure. Both contractors completed their work by early June.

Maintenance crews from the National Park Service and Pearl Purity Water Solutions—a Maryland company under contract since 2021—removed algae from the pool’s surface while tourists visited the historic site. Local residents expressed mixed reactions, with some finding the discoloration unobjectionable since the pool is not swum in, while others viewed it as detracting from the landmark’s appearance and reflective qualities.

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