Chunks of peeled blue paint were spotted inside the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, just days after President Donald Trump’s recent $14.2 million renovations were carried out, including a demand by the president to paint the bottom of the pool “American Flag Blue” color.
Seen through algae-laden green water, a tear in the recently applied sealant can be seen on the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
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Photos and videos showed dark blue flaps both at the bottom of the pool and floating on the surface, even as the National Park Service battled to get rid of algae, which has reappeared, turning the pool green.
It is unclear what is causing the blue coat of paint to peel off the bottom of the pool, but it came a few days after National Park workers poured containers of 12% hydrogen peroxide into the pool to get rid of the green algae, which has reappeared.
Trump officials blamed past presidential administrations for the algal bloom—echoing the president's criticism—but it's unclear why the renovation process failed to address it.
Aerial shots of the pool shared by ABC News showed the extent of the algae bloom, with edges of the pool appearing dark blue while the center looked green.
The president himself has not yet commented on either the return of the algae or the peeling paint, but last week on Truth Social, he shared several news articles praising the pool’s renovation.
The New York Times reported late on Thursday that a business owned by a longtime Trump supporter and key donor, John J. Cafaro, was given a no-bid $1.7 million contract to install a water-purification system in the reflecting pool. An Interior Department spokesperson told the Times that Cafaro’s Ohio-based firm, Greenwater Services, has set up temporary water-purification sites at the pool and will install a permanent system this week. The official also denied knowledge of Cafaro’s political links and said his firm was picked “because they had the expertise, workforce and materials.”
Last month, the Cultural Landscape Foundation, a nonprofit group, sued the Trump administration in federal court over the repainting of the Reflecting Pool. In the suit, filed before the D.C. federal court, the plaintiffs had argued that the repainting was “blatantly unlawful” and that the pool floor’s dark grey is a deliberate design choice. The filing also noted that the dark-colored floor created the “illusion of greater depth and a more profound reflection.” The non-profit’s President and CEO, Charles Birnbaum, said at the time: “A blue-tinted basin is more appropriate to a resort or theme park.” The suit urges the court to block the repair work and restore the pool to its original color.
National Park Service employees and contractors use vacuums to remove green algae from the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Getty Images
Seen through algae-laden green water, a tear in the recently applied sealant can be seen on the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Getty Images
Hydrogen Peroxide Poured Into Green Reflecting Pool After Trump’s $14 Million Renovation (Forbes)
Firm Tied to Trump Donor Got No-Bid Contract to Clean Reflecting Pool (New York Times)
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