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Algae Strikes Back: Trump’s $14M Reflecting Pool Restoration Turns Green
WASHINGTON — It was supposed to be a sparkling centerpiece for the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary, but just over a week after completing a $14.2 million renovation, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is facing a stubborn, bright green adversary: a massive algae bloom.
The Trump administration has quickly launched an aggressive cleanup campaign. Over the past week, crews in hip-waders have been spotted vacuuming up clumps of algae from the basin, while workers were seen dumping gallons of hydrogen peroxide directly into the 6.5-million-gallon pool on Tuesday.
Despite the heavy-handed intervention, the water has continued to darken into a murky green. The rapid breakout has raised questions about whether the administration can achieve its goal of permanently beautifying a landmark that President Trump previously criticized as "disgusting" and "not representative of the country." One cleanup worker on-site candidly remarked to reporters that keeping the pool completely clear could take "an entire lifetime."
The Department of the Interior maintains that its newly installed, "state-of-the-art" filtration system—known as an "ozone nanobubbler"—is functioning properly. A spokesperson stated that the advanced technology has successfully killed the bloom, meaning the visible green matter is currently dead algae being systematically vacuumed away. Officials also noted that hydrogen peroxide serves as a milder, environmentally safe supplement to the nanobubbler system, carrying no harmful side effects for local wildlife.
The recurring green tint highlights a historic maintenance headache that has plagued multiple administrations. In 2012, the Obama administration spent $34 million on an 18-month overhaul of the pool, only for a severe algae bloom to overtake the surface within a month of its reopening. Interior officials noted that the Obama-era project also failed to stop massive underground leaks, which previously drained an estimated 16 million gallons of water a year.
President Trump has taken a direct interest in the restoration, expediting the timeline so the landmark would look "gorgeous and beautiful" in time for the July 4th celebrations. However, the compressed schedule caused the project's price tag to skyrocket from an initial $1.8 million estimate to more than $14 million. The President also ordered distinct cosmetic updates, including resurfacing the pool with a dark, "American Flag" blue coating intended to sharpen its iconic reflections, despite pushback from historical preservationists.
While the Interior Department hopes its high-tech ozone treatment will offer a permanent solution to the contaminants that have troubled the pool since 1922, environmental experts warn that Washington’s summer heat and the pool's shallow depth create an ideal breeding ground for algae. Specialists note that even if the current system successfully eradicates the current bloom, the dead organic material will simply serve as nutrients to fuel the next wave of growth, requiring nonstop, aggressive maintenance through the fall.
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By: CNN Newsource
June 16, 2026
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