The Trump administration has awarded a $2.7 million contract to a Massachusetts company to try to fix the algae issue that has plagued the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool in Washington, D.C.
Government spending data showed American Ag Energy, Inc., was given the contract to tackle the problem, which bloomed again on the surface of the pool following President Donald Trump’s multi-million-dollar effort to refurbish the feature ahead of July 4.
After repairs, which included a new “American flag blue” lining, failed and the pool needed to be drained again, Trump promised this week during a media briefing that it would be open again to visitors very soon.
Newsweek reached out to the National Park Service and American Ag Energy, Inc. for comment Friday morning.
New Lincoln Memorial Contract: What We Know
Government records show the contract covers maintenance, repair, and rebuilding of equipment, as well as water purification and sewage treatment at the site.
According to NBC 4 Washington, the work will include efforts to ensure no more algae blooms on the surface of the shallow pool.
The new contractors are taking time to conduct biological and chemical testing to understand where the problems are coming from, as well as what environmental factors are contributing to its issues. Only then will changes be made to try to avoid another major algae bloom or stagnant water.
Reflecting Pool Problems Persist Despite Multiple Renovations
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has struggled with algae growth, leaks and water-quality issues for decades, making maintenance of one of D.C.’s most recognizable landmarks a recurring challenge.
The pool underwent a major $30 million rehabilitation project during the Obama administration that was completed in 2012 and included a new circulation and filtration system, but algae quickly reappeared after the pool was refilled. Experts have long noted that the shallow, sun-exposed pool provides ideal conditions for algae growth, creating a difficult balance between maintaining the mirror-like appearance visitors expect and preventing blooms.
The latest renovation effort, launched ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations, was intended to address longstanding maintenance concerns while giving the water a deeper blue appearance. However, the project quickly ran into trouble after reopening, with green algae returning within days and sections of the new coating reportedly peeling from the basin.
Trump and others within the administration have claimed that the pool’s condition was the result of vandalism, despite the Department of Justice (DOJ) saying the damage was caused by faulty work, when it dropped a felony charge filed against one suspect.
How Much Has Been Spent Trying to Fix the Lincoln Memorial
If you’re counting all major disclosed spending on the Reflecting Pool since the 2012 reconstruction, the running total appears to be about $49.9 million, based on reported contract amounts:
- 2010-2012 reconstruction: $30.7 million [mallhistory.org]
- April 3, 2026: Atlantic Industrial Coatings initial contract, $6.9 million [theguardian.com], [highergov.com]
- May 2026: Additional Atlantic Industrial award, $6.2 million [yahoo.com]
- June 3, 2026: Additional Atlantic Industrial modification, $1.0 million [yahoo.com]
- June 15, 2026: Additional Atlantic Industrial modification, $461,000 [yahoo.com]
- August 2026: Greenwater Services algae-treatment contract, about $1.7-$1.8 million [nbcwashington.com], [yahoo.com]
- Late August 2026: American Ag Energy repair contract, $2.7 million
That brings the cumulative total to roughly $49.9 million, spent on rebuilding, renovating, repairing, and attempting to control algae in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool since the start of the 2010-2012 overhaul.
The roughly $50 million spent on major reconstruction, renovation and algae-control efforts at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool since 2010 is equivalent to funding hundreds of teachers for a year, providing millions of school lunches, or purchasing roughly 100 median-priced American homes.
Public opinion appears mixed but generally negative. A June 2026 Economist/YouGov poll found that 49 percent of Americans disapproved of the Trump administration’s renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, compared with 31 percent who approved, suggesting that critics outnumbered supporters by an 18-point margin. The survey was conducted among 1,606 U.S. adult citizens.
Part of Trump’s Broader Washington Overhaul
The new $2.7 million contract comes amid a broader Trump administration campaign to refurbish and beautify federal landmarks in Washington, D.C., as part of the country’s semiquincentennial celebrations.
Trump has repeatedly promoted restoration work on monuments, memorials and public spaces as part of a wider effort to reshape the appearance of the nation’s capital and present Washington as a showcase for the U.S. during the 250th anniversary year. According to Trump, the administration has overseen work on dozens of monuments, memorials, statues and fountains across the city.
The Reflecting Pool project became one of the most visible components of that effort.
Initially projected by Trump to cost about $1.5 million, the overall price tag grew to more than $16 million as additional repairs and water-treatment measures were added. The administration has argued the work was necessary to fix longstanding problems that previous renovations failed to solve, while critics have questioned the use of no-bid contracts and the need for additional taxpayer spending after the initial overhaul encountered difficulties.
The latest award to American Ag Energy signals that federal officials are continuing to invest in the project despite earlier indications that no further contracts would be needed.
What’s Next
The project is likely to remain under scrutiny in the coming months as lawmakers, watchdogs and taxpayers evaluate a renovation effort whose costs have climbed to nearly $20 million in 2026 alone. Whether the latest round of fixes finally delivers a lasting solution to the landmark’s long-running algae problem could determine whether additional federal spending is required.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon and Gray R. Thomas