Trump’s Reflecting – A $13.1 million renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool may miss the real cause of its algae and leaks: underground pipes that officials say are failing, according to a New York Times report.
For years. the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has been a source of complaints from passersby who described the water as sludgy. disgusting. and smelling “of wet dog.” Now President Donald Trump is trying to scrub the problem away with a fresh coat of waterproofing in an effort meant to “make the pool great again.”.
But a report published by The New York Times on Friday argues the effort may not address what Parks Services identified during Trump’s first term: leaky infrastructure under the National Mall that, if not repaired, can shut down filtration for weeks—letting algae return.
Trump’s renovation plan centers on granite scrubbing and grouting followed by a bright “American flag blue”-hued waterproof coating. with Virginia firm Atlantic Industrial Coatings awarded a no-bid contract to do the work. Trump initially said the price would be $1.8 million. By May. it was reported that the company had raised the figure to $13.1 million. in an effort to finish before America’s 250th birthday celebrations. per Trump’s request.
The report’s core question is whether sealing the surface can work if the underlying plumbing is still failing.
The Reflecting Pool’s algae problem has persisted for years. The Times points to the claim that there is “no plan to fix its leaky pipes. ” which are meant to move large volumes of water from the pool to a treatment center. At that center. algae and bacteria is killed through filtering and purification. and then water is pumped back into the Reflecting Pool.
Parks Services, according to the Times, told Trump during his first term that “the only solution” to the pond scum issue was to replace thousands of feet of pipe. The reason: Park Services says the pipes’ “plastic walls fail under pressure from the surrounding soil,” causing them to break and leak.
When the pipes leak, the pool has to be shut off, and water is cut off from the filtration system for weeks. The report says those weeks give algae time to slime.
The firm working on the pool, however, is not working on the pipes. The Times says it is instead concentrating on a “system of expansion joints around the pool’s concrete slabs.” Workers are sealing the bottom by addressing how the slabs expand and contract as temperatures change—spraying blue paint and then using sealant compound designed to keep gaps watertight. Workers have been described as “stuffing pieces of solid foam into the gaps” and then adding the “American flag blue”-tinted sealant compound on top in an attempt to lock it in.
The Times also reports that prior analyses indicated water mainly leaked out between the slabs, not through them—and that the company’s efforts to stop leaking in that way have failed twice.
Still, the larger worry is what happens after the new surface coating goes down. If the pipes aren’t repaired, experts quoted by the Times maintain the algae could return, effectively covering the freshly waterproofed blue floor with new “green murk.”
Monday brought a moment of celebration from the Trump administration’s Interior Department. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum posted on X that “The Reflecting Pool is now 100% coated with American Flag Blue sealant!” In the post. he added. “Another major milestone in restoring this landmark and ensuring it lasts for generations of Americans to celebrate our great history in our nation’s capital.”.
For residents and visitors who have smelled the sour odor and seen the algae take hold for years. the administration’s milestone is likely to feel less like the end of a problem than a test of whether waterproofing the surface can outlast failing plumbing underground. The Times’ warning is stark: without fixing the pipes. the $13.1 million push to “make the pool great again” could be a costly reset—followed by the same green recurrence.
Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Trump renovation Atlantic Industrial Coatings Doug Burgum American Flag Blue sealant leaky pipes algae National Mall Parks Services
So they’re spending 13 million to cover algae… cool.
I swear that pool always smelled like wet dog. Like how hard is it?? If the pipes are leaking then just fix the pipes and stop painting it blue flag whatever.
Isn’t it funny how they wait years then act like a coat of waterproofing is the miracle. But also maybe the algae is from like… pigeons? I dunno. My cousin said the smell is “chemical” which sounds like the coating problem.
No-bid contract for a coating job and it went from 1.8 million to 13.1 million?? That’s wild. They’re basically sealing the top while saying the underground pipes might still be failing, so yeah the algae comes back and then they’ll blame “maintenance delays” or whatever. Also 250th birthday deadline like that even matters if filtration gets shut down for weeks.