Donald Trump’s attempt to paint the Lincoln Reflecting Pool blue produced a persistent, foul-smelling algal bloom that Park staff continue to battle with drains, vacuums, hydrogen peroxide, and nanobubbles. Investigations are under way after multiple dead ducks were found in the pool, and questions have been raised about a $1.7 million no-bid contract tied to the $16.4 million project. Scientists say cyanobacterial blooms thrive in warm, calm, nutrient-rich water and are becoming more frequent as pollution and climate change escalate—just as federal monitoring labs face staffing and funding cuts that weaken early-warning and response capacity.
From Blue Sealant To Green Sludge: How Trump’s Reflecting Pool Exposed A Bigger Algae Problem
Donald Trump’s effort to turn the Lincoln Reflecting Pool “American Flag Blue” ahead of July 4 backfired when the basin became a foul-smelling, bright green algal bloom. National Park Service staff have struggled to eradicate the bloom despite using vacuums, hydrogen peroxide, and nanobubble systems; officials now plan to drain the basin for a second time this month and reapply the blue sealant that has been surfacing in unattractive chunks.
The Washington Post reported that the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment is investigating the deaths of multiple ducks found in the pool’s water. The episode has drawn scrutiny for cost and contracting decisions: the $16.4 million project included a $1.7 million no-bid contract to Greenwater Services, owned by Trump ally John J. Cafaro. Workers reported intermittent failures of algae-control equipment, and claims by the president that "vandals" sabotaged the pool with knives and fertilizer have not been substantiated by officials.
Why Algal Blooms Happen
Algae are more than a political punchline. They play essential roles in aquatic ecosystems, but cyanobacterial blooms—often called blue-green algae—can become harmful under the right conditions. Marine biologist Gregory Dick, director of the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR), explains that blooms are growing more frequent as water pollution increases and temperatures rise.
"They’re becoming more frequent as water pollution becomes more of an issue, and they grow more in warming conditions," said Gregory Dick. "The Reflecting Pool is not an exception."
Cyanobacteria proliferate when nutrient levels (notably phosphorus and nitrogen) are high, water is warm, and conditions are calm—exactly the conditions the shallow Reflecting Pool can provide. Some cyanobacteria produce microcystin, a toxin that can kill birds and sicken people (causing nausea, vomiting, and skin irritation). A 2014 microcystin event in Lake Erie left nearly 500,000 residents in the Toledo area without running water for three days.
Monitoring And The Cost Of Cuts
Keeping waterways safe requires substantial local, state, and federal resources. NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL), which houses CIGLR, monitors and responds to blooms across the Great Lakes basin using remote sensors, buoys, autonomous vehicles, and laboratory analyses. That data helps water utilities, beach managers, and local economies decide when to close beaches, treat water differently, or issue warnings.
Yet GLERL and related programs have faced staffing and funding pressures. The lab lost roughly 40% of its staff last year amid cuts attributed to the Department of Government Efficiency, which encouraged buyouts and early retirements. GLERL has also not received all appropriated funds. The White House’s proposed FY2027 budget includes an 18% reduction to NOAA overall and would eliminate funding for "Ocean, Coastal and Great Lakes Research," putting additional monitoring capacity at risk.
Those reductions have had concrete impacts: several of GLERL’s autonomous sample processors "did not go out last year because of funding delays and lack of personnel," Dick said. Reduced staffing and support undermine on-the-ground operations and jeopardize timely forecasts and measurements that municipal water and recreation managers depend on.
Climate Change, Extreme Weather, And Rising Risk
Dick and other researchers warn that warming temperatures and extreme, climate-driven storms will make harmful algal blooms more common. Cyanobacteria thrive in warmer water, and heavy storms can wash nutrient-rich runoff into waterways, fueling blooms. Even Lake Superior—once considered the coldest and cleanest Great Lake—has experienced substantial algal blooms after a series of extreme storms and is among the fastest-warming lakes on Earth, with summer surface temperatures rising by roughly five degrees over the past 30 years.
What The Reflecting Pool Reveals
The Reflecting Pool incident is both literal and symbolic: a high-profile, expensive project that quickly devolved into a visible environmental and public-relations problem. It underscores tensions between headline-grabbing projects and the quieter, long-term investments—scientific monitoring, staffing, and infrastructure—needed to protect water quality and public health.
Whether the pool’s algae are ultimately eradicated or recur each summer, the broader takeaway is clear: without sustained investment in monitoring, research, and pollution reduction, harmful algal blooms will become harder to prevent and manage as the climate warms.
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