Algae Returns to Spruced-Up Reflecting Pool in DC

A pricey makeover hasn't kept a familiar nuisance from popping up at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool: algae. Thin green films were visible Friday on the World War II Memorial end of the pool, just days after workers were seen scrubbing algae from the bottom and a week after a months-long renovation wrapped, reports Politico. The work, launched in April as part of President Trump's broader effort to refresh Washington ahead of the nation's 250th birthday, came after Trump called the pool "terrible" and "disgusting," notes the Washington Post.

An Interior Department spokesperson blamed the current growth on leftover algae in water lines that sat idle for about two months during construction, calling it a standard startup issue that will soon be resolved. The National Park Service added a new ozone "nanobubbler" filtration system, with $1.7 million going to Green Water Solutions for the system and $14.2 million to Atlantic Industrial Coatings to reline the pool in "American Flag Blue." The total cost exceeded the roughly $1.5 million price tag Trump initially cited, and follows a $34 million overhaul under then-President Barack Obama in 2012 that also struggled with post-renovation algae.