Fixing the murky Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool now involves what looks like a mass dumping of household cleaner. Videos circulating Tuesday showed workers tipping gallon jugs of hydrogen peroxide into the long, algae-coated basin, part of a National Park Service push to clear the water after the Trump administration's high-profile, $13.1 million overhaul, the Hill reports. A Department of the Interior spokesperson said the chemical is being used alongside an ozone "nanobubble" filtration system to break down contaminants, calling hydrogen peroxide safe for wildlife and the environment and noting it's common in spas and natural swimming pools.
Algae was spotted in the pool just days after the renovation was complete. Pool expert Steve Goodale told CNN the treatment is "legitimate" for an open-air landmark where chlorine would be too harsh, likening hydrogen peroxide to a "turbocharge button" for oxidation—but warned the sheer volume of water, some 6.5 million gallons, makes dosing key. Workers also used a vacuum cleaner to suck up algae from the bottom of the pool, which was coated in "American flag blue" as part of the renovation.
The AP notes that the current methods are "not dissimilar" to algae removal before the renovation—and the darker color may have made the job more difficult. "Now that the bottom is nice and dark, it elevates the temperature and the algae grows better," says Cochise Wanzer II, president of the Pool Service Company in Arlington, Virginia. He says the return of algae is not surprising. "What do you expect?" he asks. "You're basically taking natural, untreated river water, pumping it in and expecting it to do something different from what it would do out in the open."
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