Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Gets $1.7 Million Ozone Nanobubbler System
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A $1.7 million ozone nanobubbler, installed by Ohio-based Greenwater Services, is being tested to keep the Reflecting Pool clear ahead of July 4 celebrations, while questions persist about its long-term effectiveness and contract procurement.
Washington — The National Park Service has begun operating a permanent ozone nanobubbler system, a $1.7 million technology that injects billions of microscopic oxygen bubbles into the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, in an effort to control algae and bacteria before the July 4 holiday. The system, developed by Greenwater Services of Brookfield, Ohio, follows a brief trial with four mobile units that were deployed on June 6, removed on June 12, and reinstalled a day later. The permanent unit, housed in a pump house near the pool, began running on June 25 after the temporary machines were taken out.
“What I think everyone learned is that when the system is allowed to run, it cleans the water and keeps it clean,” spokesperson Erin Kramer said.
The nanobubbler technology, which creates ozone that is injected into the pool’s water-circulation pipes, is touted by industry researchers as highly effective. Heather Raymond, a water-quality director at Ohio State University, noted that the bubbles can remain active in water for days and that laboratory tests have shown a 90 percent effectiveness rate, though she has not been involved in the Reflecting Pool project.
Greenwater Services was awarded a no-bid contract in April, a decision defended by the Interior Department as based on the company’s expertise and the tight timeline required for the 250th-anniversary celebrations. Co-owner J.J. Cafaro, a known Trump donor, has faced scrutiny over past legal issues, but the department said the White House did not influence the selection.
The pool’s aging pipe network, which supplies water to the nanobubbler, remains in need of repair, and officials have said the system’s performance will be monitored as temperatures rise. Greenwater plans to continue daily water testing through the holiday weekend and says additional temporary units can be deployed if algae reappears.