Trump's $14M Reflecting Pool Project Couldn't Stop Algae From Blooming In The DC Heat [View all]
Source: MEDIAite
Jun 13th, 2026, 7:47 pm
President Donald Trump’s $14 million Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovation couldn’t stop algae from blooming in the D.C. heat and turning the water a murky shade of green once again.
The unsightly hue plagued the pool just in time for an estimated 125,000 people to descend on Washington for Trump’s “Freedom 250” UFC fights on the White House lawn for his birthday on Sunday — despite work crews spreading chlorine pellets to try to deter algae growth. The Washington Post reported that the bloom “expanded between Wednesday and Thursday amid wet and warm weather.”
Katie Martin, a spokeswoman for the Interior Department, said in a statement, “What you are seeing is residual algae from the supply lines which have been sitting dormant for eight weeks while construction has been taking place. It’s part of the normal startup process. “We are removing the algae, and the nanobubblers will maintain the pool and keep it algae free. President Donald J. Trump is an expert builder who has fixed the Reflecting Pool for good unlike the failed and extremely costly attempt by Obama and Biden.”
Whether the pool remains algae-free remains to be seen, however.
Read more: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/trumps-14m-reflecting-pool-project-couldnt-stop-algae-from-blooming-in-the-dc-heat/
Anyone who has had a freshwater fish tank, even with chlorination, filtration, and some amount of circulation, will deal with periodic algae formation. Water features with strong circulation like fountains, have a better chance of being algse-free or with minimal amounts. Water + warmth + light = plant growth (particularly when nutrients from leaf and other organic debris is present).
The reflecting pool is NOT a swimming pool, with large amounts of chlorine, continual pH adjustments, and active circulation with filtration. On the other hand, too much water agitation defeats the conditions for optimal reflection.
= new reply since forum marked as read