Workers poured hydrogen peroxide into the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after it turned bright green following President Donald Trump’s costly renovation intended to deliver “American flag blue” for the nation’s 250th anniversary. The Interior Department sa
By Wednesday morning, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC looked like it had already missed its mark.
Workers poured hydrogen peroxide into the water of the Reflecting Pool after it had turned bright green following President Donald Trump’s renovation. The project was meant to make the pool “American flag blue” in time for the nation’s 250th anniversary.
The Interior Department has been trying to manage algae blooms that have repeatedly overwhelmed the pool. and this latest intervention is the most recent step in that effort. It comes despite a renovation that cost more than $14 million. carried out under a no-bid contract by a company that had never worked for the federal government. The company had, however, worked on President Donald Trump’s golf courses, according to The New York Times.
The timeline matters here. Algae began forming less than a day after the updated pool was unveiled last week.
An Interior Department spokesperson said the bloom was driven by “residual algae from the supply lines, which have been sitting dormant for eight weeks.” The explanation points inward—toward what was already in place before the new treatment began.
But another uncertainty sits just behind the surface: where the pool’s water is coming from right now.
The Reflecting Pool typically draws water from the nearby Tidal Basin, which is often filled with algae. When algae levels are high, the water supply switches to municipal drinking water. The US Interior Department didn’t immediately respond to questions about which water source is currently feeding the pool.
Weather, too, is not waiting for cleanup. High temperatures can create “a perfect storm for [algae] to bloom. ” said Hans Paerl. a former professor at the University of North Carolina’s Institute of Marine Sciences. Paerl also pointed to stagnant conditions. saying that makes the problem worse—“Lakes and reservoirs around the world—they all have this problem during this time of year.”.
Hotter-than-normal weather is expected to hit Washington, DC, to end the week, a stretch that could make it harder to keep algae under control while the capital’s celebrations continue.
Paerl also linked the recurrence to a broader force the administration has been slower to tackle. He pointed to climate change as a driver that makes algae blooms expand and move toward higher latitudes.
“It’s just getting hotter, and these blooms are expanding globally—they’re moving up into higher latitudes,” Paerl said. “It’s clearly a temperature effect allowing them to optimize their growth.”
Inside the agency’s plan, there’s more than chemical treatment. Beyond the hydrogen peroxide, the Interior Department said it is “deploying high-tech nanobubble ozone technology” to keep algae at bay.
Trump has promoted the pool’s renovation publicly. pointing to painting it blue and fixing leaks. and he also said the hired company would be able to do repairs “in much less time. for much less money.” Now. with algae back—so quickly after the unveiling—those promises are meeting the stubborn reality of what’s happening to the water. the temperatures. and the supply lines.
Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool algae bloom hydrogen peroxide nanobubble ozone technology U.S. Interior Department Trump renovation “American flag blue” Tidal Basin Washington DC weather climate change