Algae Levels in Reflecting Pool at Highest in Years

Algae isn't merely creeping back into the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after a $14 million renovation—levels hit their highest in at least five years, reports the Washington Post. Within days of the renovation's completion and refill, algae levels began climbing quickly amid a hot and sunny stretch in DC, according to a University of Virginia analysis of European Sentinel-2 satellite data. That analysis found more chlorophyll, a proxy for algae, in a June image taken the week after the pool reopened than in any June snapshot since 2021—and among the highest readings of any month over the past two years.

The green water has caused a lot of attention mainly because President Trump ordered the renovations after complaining about the pool's "filthy" and "disgusting" water and blaming his White House predecessors. The rebound has fueled online speculation ranging from bureaucratic sabotage to misdated photos. Late-night hosts are having a field, as rounded up in the New York Times. "Trump was going for Avatar and he ended up with Shrek," snarked Jimmy Fallon. The Interior Department says it is now dosing the 6.75 million-gallon pool with hydrogen peroxide and "nanobubble" ozone tech to starve the algae, and a White House spokesman predicted the water would become "crystal clear."