Days after completion of a $14.2 million renovation project, algae has returned to the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, undoing the administration's push to transform the water to what officials call an American flag blue shade before the nation's 250th birthday celebration.
The pool, which served as the backdrop for Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 "I have a dream" speech, sits at the center of the Trump administration's broader effort to restore Washington's iconic sites during the president's second term. The project drew scrutiny from the start, awarded as a no-bid contract to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a Virginia-based firm that has previously worked on a swimming pool at one of Trump's golf clubs.
The administration had publicly stated that residual algae would be eliminated following the renovation work. Instead, warm weather has allowed the growth to flourish, turning the recently refurbished pool green.
The Department of the Interior has moved to address the setback by deploying what officials describe as nanobubbler technology, a water treatment system intended to eliminate the algae. A department spokesperson told the Guardian on Tuesday that the system has "successfully destroyed the algae bloom that has plagued every pool reopening since 1922." The statement added that the algae is now "dead and being vacuumed up as we speak."
National Park Service staff have been observed using skimmers to manually remove algae from the water's surface, working to restore the pool's intended appearance.
Trump initially estimated the project's cost at roughly $1.8 million, though the figure ballooned to more than $14 million as work progressed. The president has described the reflecting pool as previously "filthy" and "dirty," characterizing the renovation as a necessary reclamation of a national landmark.
In a post to Truth Social on June 5, Trump emphasized the sophistication of the renovation effort. "This was not a paint job," he wrote. "This was highly sophisticated material, industrial strength, that could last for 100 years, applied by very talented people." The administration has repeatedly claimed that previous presidential administrations attempted costly beautification projects on the pool without success.
Author James Rodriguez: "After spending $14.2 million to turn a national monument blue, the administration is now racing against nature to keep algae at bay. It's a reminder that no amount of money guarantees results, especially when you're fighting Mother Nature."
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