Trump's $14 Million Reflecting Pool Renovation Has an Algae Problem

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was supposed to be a showpiece. Instead, less than two weeks after a $14 million renovation was completed, it turned green.

Satellite data analyzed by researchers at the University of Virginia found that algae levels in the 6.75-million-gallon pool surged to their highest recorded point in the month of June in at least five years — and ranked among the highest readings of any month over the past two years. The bloom arrived within 24 hours of the pool being refilled, and it has not stopped growing since.

How It Happened

The renovation, ordered by President Trump ahead of the nation's 250th anniversary celebrations on July 4, was intended to give the century-old landmark a dramatic makeover. The pool's interior was resurfaced with a darker coating designed to produce what Trump called an "American flag blue" finish. He had publicly criticized the pool's previous appearance as "filthy" and "disgusting," saying his White House predecessors had failed to maintain it. After the pool was refilled on June 4, Trump declared it had "clean, beautiful water."

The algae began appearing almost immediately.

Experts say the bloom was likely inevitable given the timing. The refilling process began in early June as temperatures in Washington were spiking — including a high of 100 degrees on June 12. "You put those ingredients together, and there was probably in the water coming in sufficient nitrogen or phosphorus, or both, to grow the amount of algae that we see," said Patricia Glibert, a University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science professor who studies phytoplankton. Algae in the pool's residual infrastructure, she said, likely came back to life as the water returned.

"As the pond was refilled, it probably had residual water in some of the infrastructure, algae was probably residual in that water," Glibert said.

Could the New Paint Be Making It Worse?

The darker paint color has drawn scrutiny from conservation experts, who say it may be contributing to the problem by absorbing more solar radiation and raising water temperatures. Alla Silkina, an algal biotechnology expert at Swansea University, told Newsweek that darker surfaces "can absorb more solar radiation and increase local water temperatures," adding that this "may create more favorable conditions for algal growth."

One National Parks Conservation Association official went further, suggesting the new color could be a contributing factor and noting that these are "all questions that would normally be answered during that review process that just was not done in this case."

The Interior Department pushed back on that framing. A spokesperson pointed out that algae had appeared following every previous pool renovation, including the 2012 overhaul during the Obama administration, which the agency described as having produced "massive algae clumps" after years of construction. "The National Park Service is actually maintaining the beautifully completed Reflecting Pool," the spokesperson said.

That historical context holds up: following the 2012 renovation, which cost tens of millions of dollars, algae also appeared within weeks of the pool reopening, forcing crews to drain and clean it again.

The Cleanup

National Park Service crews have been working around the clock to bring the pool back under control. Workers have been spotted on video dumping bottles of hydrogen peroxide into the water, while a nanobubble ozone technology system — which releases tiny ozone-filled bubbles into the water to kill algae — has also been deployed. Rangers have been physically scraping algae off the pool's bottom, and a tubing system has been set up to siphon contaminated water into storm drains. The Interior Department said the hydrogen peroxide treatment would have "no harmful side effects to marine life or to the environment."

White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said the nanobubble technology would keep the pool "crystal clear" going forward. But experts caution that killing the algae is only part of the problem.

"Killing the algae is the easy part," Glibert said. Once the algae is dead, the bigger challenge is removing the organic material before it settles, decomposes, and feeds another round of growth. "Dead, rotting slime that then decomposes — those nutrients come back into the water and the whole cycle starts all over again," she said.

The Clock Is Ticking

The pool sits at the center of the National Mall, one of the most photographed landmarks in the country and the planned backdrop for July 4 celebrations marking the nation's 250th anniversary. With roughly two weeks to go, crews are racing to restore the pool's appearance before the eyes of the world — and the president — turn fully toward Washington.

A video of the green pool posted to X has been viewed more than 2 million times. Late-night hosts have been quick to pile on. "Trump was going for Avatar and he ended up with Shrek," quipped Jimmy Fallon.

For now, ducks are swimming through the green-tinged water, tourists are stopping to take photos, and the National Park Service is doing its best to turn blue what has firmly gone green.

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