Algae reappears in Reflecting Pool after $14.2 million renovation
Algal growth was observed in the Reflecting Pool near the Lincoln Memorial days after a $14.2 million repair project, prompting interior-department officials to say the new water-treatment system would soon remove it.
Days after a $14.2 million renovation that added a dark-blue waterproof coating and a nanobubble water-treatment system, clumps of algae were spotted on the surface of the Reflecting Pool between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. The growth appeared following several hot, humid days, despite the project’s aim to address longstanding leaks and previous algal blooms.
The Interior Department said the nanobubbler technology is actively removing the algae. > "Due to deploying the advanced nanobubbler technology, the algae is dead and being vacuumed up as we speak," spokeswoman Katie Martin wrote in an email. The department added that the system should eliminate the problem.
The renovation, completed in early June, involved two no-bid contracts awarded by the Trump administration. Atlantic Industrial Coatings sealed joints and applied the waterproof coating, while Greenwater Services installed the upgraded purification system. Workers from the National Park Service, along with contractors from Pearl Purity Water Solutions, have been manually skimming algae from the pool.
Tourists continued to visit the site while crews worked to clear the water. One visitor, Bonnie Garvin, a teacher from Georgia, said the temporary green hue did not affect her experience.
