Algae Appears in Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool After $14.2 Million Renovation, Officials Vow Cleanup

Algae appeared in sections of the freshly refilled Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after a reconstruction costing $14.2 million, prompting officials to promise ongoing cleanup.

“The Trump administration has spent days heavily promoting the finished renovations at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, crediting the president with making Washington, DC, look “better than ever”

CNN

CNN reported that a day after the reservoir was filled post renovations, there was already quite a bit of algae visible from the water’s edge, and a worker was clearing algae from the bottom while shooting a video on Wednesday.

CNN

An Interior Department spokesperson, communications director Kate Martin, said the algae is “residual” and “part of the normal startup process,” explaining it was “residual algae from the supply lines” that had been dormant for eight weeks during construction.

The Department of the Interior also said it had invested in a “state-of-the-art ozone nanobubbler filtration system” intended to keep algae out, while the Trump administration continued to promote the project as it neared $14.2 million in total renovation cost.

The renovations included painting the Reflecting Pool basin “American Flag Blue,” a dark navy, with the National Park Service saying the color would improve reflectivity compared to existing gray concrete.

USA TODAY reported that the National Park Service said the concrete bottom collects algae and turns a slimy green, and it described how the basin’s earlier signature color had been a feature since the pool’s opening in 1924.

mezha.net

USA TODAY also said a lawsuit filed against the U.S. Department of the Interior by The Cultural Landscape Foundation on May 11 challenged the basin’s color and stated that President Donald Trump commissioned a swimming pool contractor to carry out the work.

In the same reporting, USA TODAY described how on Monday, June 8, the pool offered a “decent reflection” of the monument while some construction crews were spotted wearing “Make America Great Again,” or MAGA, hats.

CNN described mixed reactions from residents and tourists around the reflecting pool, including Lara Harvey saying, “I was expecting a swimming pool. I was expecting swimming pool blue, but I’m really surprised.”

“I went to see the renovated Reflecting Pool”

USA Today

CNN also quoted Marcus Tate, who lives in Alexandria, criticizing the administration for spending money on unnecessary upkeep and not doing more to help the homeless, and it quoted Kyra Brown saying, “It doesn’t look that much different, honestly, to me.”

The Trump administration’s promotion of the finished renovations included statements that the project made Washington, DC, “better than ever,” while the Interior Department provided its explanation after CNN sent videos of the algae.

CNN further reported that the president had repeatedly bragged about the $14.2 million pet project, and it noted that the cost had gradually ticked upward from $1.8 million to $13.1 million before settling at $14.2 million, with a contract summary under the Obama administration citing $35.3 million.