{"id":3493,"date":"2026-06-11T23:08:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T23:08:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3493"},"modified":"2026-06-11T23:08:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T23:08:18","slug":"algae-forms-in-the-reflecting-pool-its-residual-trump-officials-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3493","title":{"rendered":"Algae forms in the Reflecting Pool. It\u2019s \u2018residual,\u2019 Trump officials say."},"content":{"rendered":"

A few days after the $14 million renovation was completed, along came the algae in the D.C. heat. It\u2019s being removed, an Interior spokeswoman said, and measures are in place to prevent it in the future.<\/strong><\/p>

Read more There are two Dan Sullivans in Alaska\u2019s Senate race. Yes, really.<\/a><\/p>\n

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A man uses a pool skimmer to remove organic matter from the Reflecting Pool on Thursday. It reopened to the public this month. (Maxine Wallace\/The Washington Post)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

When renovations of the Reflecting Pool were completed last week, President Donald Trump praised its \u201cbeautiful, clean water.\u201d Under his predecessors, Trump said, the pool was \u201cTerrible. Disgusting … garbage ridden.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, days after the pool was refilled, clumps of green algae have has been spotted throughout the water. Noticed on two separate visits to the Reflecting Pool this week, the algae coated several areas of the bottom of the pool, including the east and west ends, close to the World War II Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial, and floated on the surface.<\/p>\n

An algae spot near the World War II Memorial grew significantly bigger between a rainy Wednesday afternoon and Thursday, which was hot and muggy.<\/p>\n

News photographers also captured images of buckets of Induclor<\/a>, a chlorine compound used to control bacteria, algae, slime and fungi in bodies of water.<\/p>\n

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Ducks swim through a cleaning solution as organic matter is removed from the Reflecting Pool. (Maxine Wallace\/The Washington Post)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Trump officials have an explanation: \u201cWhat 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\u2019s part of the normal startup process,\u201d Katie Martin, an Interior Department spokesperson, said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump on Thursday touted his changes to Washington, including his resurfacing<\/a> of the Reflecting Pool\u2019s basin.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt always leaked because it was done in stone,\u201d the president told reporters in the Oval Office. \u201cNow it\u2019s done properly. It\u2019s not going to leak at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Organic matter at the edge of the Reflecting Pool. (Maxine Wallace\/The Washington Post)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

When asked about the algae, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers replied in a statement: \u201cPresident Trump used his expertise to deliver exquisite upgrades to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool that Americans will enjoy for years to come. The public supports these long-overdue improvements to our nation\u2019s capital, and hit pieces like this are exactly why trust in the media is at an all-time low.\u201d<\/p>\n

Algae has been a consistent problem for the pool, and quickly reappeared after a $34 million renovation that was completed in 2012<\/a>.<\/p>

Read more Oil executives warn White House that gas prices will get worse<\/a><\/p>\n

The plantlike aquatic organisms thrive on sunlight and heat, abundant in D.C.\u2019s summer months. They are controlled through proper water filtration and chlorination, algaecide, and nanobubbles<\/a>, tiny bubbles of oxygen that effectively cut off the algae\u2019s food supply.<\/p>\n

Trump has touted his rapid renovation<\/a> of the reflecting pool as a playbook for how he wants to make over Washington<\/a>: move quickly to launch and complete construction projects, even if it requires bulldozing through regulations and red tape.<\/p>\n

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Workers transport tools to aid in the removal of organic matter. (Maxine Wallace\/The Washington Post)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Trump announced his plans to resurface the pool on April 23, saying the project would take about a week and cost less than $2 million. The project ultimately took six weeks and cost more than $14 million,<\/a> drawing a lawsuit<\/a> from historic preservationists who said Trump had flouted requirements for public comment and other necessary steps. Democrats also have pressed the White House on why the administration has issued no-bid contracts and rushed work on the reflecting pool and the president\u2019s other construction projects.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile it is important that we maintain our national landmarks as they age, the scale, cost, and permanence of these projects has revealed troubling patterns of waste, fraud, and abuse across these episodes,\u201d Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), the top Democrat on the Senate\u2019s permanent subcommittee for investigations, wrote in a letter Tuesday to Park Service leaders. The letter<\/a> was shared with The Washington Post.<\/p>\n

Trump has repeatedly defended his changes to the century-old pool as necessary, calling its water \u201cfilthy\u201d and \u201cdisgusting,\u201d and claiming that he has fixed the site\u2019s repeated problems, such as persistent leaking.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking at the Washington Monument and this thing is terrible. The water is dirty, there\u2019s cartons of stuff in it, and everything is just so horrible,\u201d the president said at the White House last month. \u201cIt\u2019s a much better job. This will last for at least 50 years and you\u2019ll never have a leak.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Para-athlete Amy Pietrafitta takes a picture of the buildup of organic matter. (Maxine Wallace\/The Washington Post)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

White House officials this week echoed the president, saying that even critics should concede that Trump\u2019s changes were for the better.<\/p>\n

One official mocked the pool\u2019s smell before Trump\u2019s changes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think anyone can argue\u201d with Trump\u2019s renovations, the official said. The official declined to comment on the reappearance of algae.<\/p>\n

The \u201cAmerican Flag Blue\u201d paint<\/a> \u2014 another of the president\u2019s choices for the renovation \u2014 has maintained the pool\u2019s mirror-like reflective qualities. But up close, the dark color is a high-contrast backdrop for bird droppings, which could also be observed this week, along with the families of ducks that had returned to the water.<\/p>

Read more Republicans recalibrate their message on gas<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A few days after the $14 million renovation was completed, along came the algae in the D.C. heat. It’s being removed, an Interior spokeswoman said, and measures are in place to prevent it in the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3486,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nAlgae forms in the Reflecting Pool. 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