Algae Returns to Reflecting Pool After $14.2M Renovation

Just days after a $14.2 million renovation intended to permanently solve its algae problems, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., has once again turned green. The project, completed last week, aimed to seal leaks and coat the pool's concrete floor with a dark blue waterproofing material described as "American Flag Blue" in time for the nation's 250th birthday next month. Despite these efforts, algal blooms reappeared over the weekend, prompting cleanup crews to return to the water.

National Park Service workers were seen wading in the pool on Sunday and Monday, skimming algae from the surface. A spokesperson for the Department of the Interior, Katie Martin, stated that the agency is maintaining the pool and attributed the visible algae to residual growth in supply lines that had been dormant during the eight-week construction period. She described the algae as dead and being vacuumed up, adding that newly installed nanobubblers would maintain the pool algae-free. The department previously characterized the algae's return as part of the normal startup process.

The renovation involved two no-bid contracts awarded by the administration, which officials said...