The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool turned murky green from an algae bloom days after a roughly $14 million renovation ordered by President Donald J. Trump. Crews used chlorine pellets and new nanobubblers to combat the algae, while an Interior Department spokeswoman said the bloom came from residual algae in supply lines dormant during construction. The New York Times warned that aging, leaky pipes beneath the pool may not have been fixed, meaning algae could return. The project, awarded via a no-bid contract to a Virginia company, saw costs rise sharply as work was rushed before national events.
After $14M Renovation, Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Still Falls Victim To Algae Bloom
Reflecting pool
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool turned murky green from an algae bloom days after a roughly $14 million renovation commissioned by President Donald J. Trump, despite crews applying chlorine pellets and activating new nanobubbler aeration systems intended to keep the water clear.
The discoloration appeared just before an estimated 125,000 people arrived in Washington, D.C., for the "Freedom 250" UFC fights staged on the White House lawn. The Washington Post reported the bloom "expanded between Wednesday and Thursday amid wet and warm weather."
"What you are seeing is residual algae from the supply lines which have been sitting dormant for eight weeks while construction has been taking place. It's part of the normal startup process," Katie Martin, an Interior Department spokeswoman, said in a statement.
Martin said crews were removing the algae and that the new nanobubblers would help maintain the pool. Her statement also praised the president's role in the renovation:
"President Donald J. Trump is an expert builder who has fixed the Reflecting Pool for good unlike the failed and extremely costly attempt by Obama and Biden."
However, The New York Times reported that the renovation may not have addressed an underlying problem: aging, leaky supply pipes beneath the pool. Engineers warned that unless those pipes are replaced or repaired, algae could return and obscure the pool's new blue coating.
During Trump's first term, the National Park Service reportedly concluded the only long-term fix would be to replace thousands of feet of pipe. That work has not yet been completed; the administration said it planned to begin pipe replacement in the fall but provided few details.
The project was awarded through a no-bid contract to a Virginia-based company. Reporting shows initial estimates of about $1.8 million rose as the timeline was accelerated to complete work before Independence Day events, with costs reported near $13.1 million and the final tab closer to $14.2 million.
To justify the expense, the president said the new blue coating would last "40 or 50 years" and eliminate leaks. The swift return of algae after refilling has prompted questions about whether the renovation fully addressed the pool's structural and plumbing challenges.
Why it matters: The episode highlights the limits of surface-level fixes for aging infrastructure and underscores the importance of repairing subsurface systems to prevent recurring maintenance problems.
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