Some of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool liner appears to be falling apart


Cleaning up the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has been one of President Donald Trump’s pet projects. In April, he said he would clean up the massive pool within a week and for about $1 million.

About three months — and more than $15 million later — the project looks to be in trouble.

Just Wednesday night, Trump’s Department of Interior declared in a social media statement that “advanced nanobubbler technology” had “very effectively killed the algae” that has plagued the Reflecting Pool for years. “The Reflecting Pool water is crystal clear,” the statement declared, but then continued, “our National Park Service team is now vacuuming up the dead algae resting on the bottom of some parts of the Reflecting Pool — just like the destroyed Iranian Navy resting on the bottom of the Persian Gulf.”

A piece of what appears to be the American Flag Blue liner recently installed at the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is seen above the surface of the water on June 18, 2026.

Elise Spenner/ABC News

When ABC News visited the Reflecting Pool Thursday afternoon, we found it filled with gunk and green algae-infused water. And a new problem has emerged; the “American flag blue” paint job appears to be falling apart — some of it peeling away from the bottom of the pool.

ABC News has asked the Interior Department for comment about the peeling paint and reached out to the contractor that did the work, but they did not immediately comment.

Members of the National Park Service clean algae from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, June 18, 2026.

Rahmat Gul/AP Photo

Algae bloomed late last week just days after the completion of the renovation, turning the pool from deep blue to green and murky. A DOI spokesperson told CNN in a statement that the algae was “residual” and came from reactivated supply lines.

DOI deployed both a hydrogen peroxide treatment and the nanobubble ozone technology, a spokesperson said, to rid the pool of algae blooms that have discolored the landmark and marred the rollout of the renovation project.

The nanobubble process releases tiny gas bubbles filled with ozone into the water, which helps to eliminate algae blooms.

The DOI spokesperson wrote that the hydrogen peroxide would have “no harmful side effects to marine life or to the environment.”

National Park Service employees and contractors use vacuums to remove green algae from the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, June 18, 2026 in Washington.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Contracts to resurface the reflecting pool and replace its filtration system were awarded without going through a competitive bidding process, arguing the country’s impending 250th anniversary celebrations created an “unusual and compelling urgency.”

“[D]elaying the award long enough to conduct a competitive procurement would prevent the National Park Service from completing the work in time to reopen the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool for the Nation’s 250th anniversary event series,” the Department of the Interior said in contracting documents. “This delay would result in serious injury to the Government, including failure to meet statutory visitor-safety responsibilities and operational commitments for the 250th.”





Source link

  • Related Posts

    Comparing’s Trump and Obama’s Iran deals, what we know: ANALYSIS

    After President Donald Trump signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran, there has been an urge to compare it to the deal Trump tore up during his first term:…

    How Trump’s rhetoric on Iran has evolved over the course of the war

    Many of President Trump’s stated reasons for going to war with Iran are left unresolved in the initial deal with Iran, and many of the president’s goals for the war…

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    You Missed

    Delta Air Lines’ New SkyMiles Rules Even Punish Its Top-Tier Diamond Medallion Members

    Delta Air Lines’ New SkyMiles Rules Even Punish Its Top-Tier Diamond Medallion Members

    Hat-Trick de Jonathan David para sellar la goleada 6-0 de Canadá

    Hat-Trick de Jonathan David para sellar la goleada 6-0 de Canadá

    Instagram Now Lets You Add A Unique Caption To Each Carousel Slide

    Instagram Now Lets You Add A Unique Caption To Each Carousel Slide

    ‘Drop in the bucket’: Sask. wildfire protection grant not enough, says fire chief

    ‘Drop in the bucket’: Sask. wildfire protection grant not enough, says fire chief

    Vance’s Defense of Iran Deal Rests on Vague and Misleading Claims

    Vance’s Defense of Iran Deal Rests on Vague and Misleading Claims

    Democrats Wahab, Hernandez advance in California special election to finish Swalwell’s term