Overview
- The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was drained, sealed with a dark blue coating, and refilled in early June under an expedited, no‑bid contract that the administration has publicly celebrated.
- Journalists and on‑site workers reported visible algae soon after refilling, and the Interior Department called it “residual” material from supply lines that sat idle during construction.
- Interior officials say the National Park Service has installed a state‑of‑the‑art ozone nanobubbler filtration system to remove the algae and maintain water quality during startup.
- The project’s cost rose sharply from the president’s initial $1.8 million estimate to roughly $13–14 million, and the use of an urgency procurement exception has drawn oversight and public scrutiny.
- Historic preservationists have sued under the National Historic Preservation Act over the blue coating and altered appearance, the judge declined to halt work, and experts warn that unreplaced buried circulation pipes could require further repairs and risk recurring algae problems.