Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool turns green after surface painted

[riversedge]

Source: USA today


June 14, 2026, 7:46 p.m. ET



Algae is pictured in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool following the completion of recent renovations on June 14, 2026 in Washington, DC. The reflecting pool construction project started in April and work was completed last week as part of President Donald TrumpÕs plan ahead of the nationÕs 250th anniversary.
Tasos Katopodis, Getty Images


https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/news/nation/2026/06/14/lincoln-memorial-reflecting-pool-green-photos/90552113007/
National Park Service workers push algae towards an aeration area in the center of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool following the completion of recent renovations in Washington, DC, on June 14, 2026. The reflecting pool project, undertaken as part of President Donald Trump's preparations for the nation's 250th anniversary, began in April and was completed last week.
KEN CEDENO, AFP Via Getty Images




Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/news/nation/2026/06/14/lincoln-memorial-reflecting-pool-green-photos/90552113007/

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Also see DU from yesterday:




.............
Katie Martin, a spokeswoman for the Interior Department, said in a statement, “What you are seeing is residual algae from the supply lines which have been sitting dormant for eight weeks while construction has been taking place. It’s part of the normal startup process. “We are removing the algae, and the nanobubblers will maintain the pool and keep it algae free. President Donald J. Trump is an expert builder who has fixed the Reflecting Pool for good unlike the failed and extremely costly attempt by Obama and Biden.”

Whether the pool remains algae-free remains to be seen, however...............

Read more: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/trumps-14m-reflecting-pool-project-couldnt-stop-algae-from-blooming-in-the-dc-heat/
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143678867

[raccoon]

1. Everything he touches....

[bobalew]

2. The original quote for that job was good for what was done....

the extra upcharge of 10+ million dollars is for what he shook us down & stole from us.. Typical Trump grift machine sticky fingers Donald...

[Goonch]

3. ;-{) BLOOM

[Cheezoholic]

4. In the pipes? I'm no expert but I thought algae needed light to stay alive. Just askin' ;) n/t

[FakeNoose]

5. Of course it did, and this was entirely predicted to happen

Painting the bottom of the pool does nothing to prevent the growth of algae. If anything, the algae grows faster because the sunlight is reflected off the lighter color on the floor of the pool.

But the algae is there in the water - and it keeps growing - no matter what color is painted on the pool bottom.

How much MORE time and money will be wasted on this non-problem?

[FailureToCommunicate]

6. Just more bread and circus. What about the Epstein Files!!

[orangecrush]

7. ETTD

[twodogsbarking]

8. Science is wonderful.

[Blues Heron]

9. Painting it a dark color turns it into a giant solar collector storage sytem that will make algae grow faster

due to the warmer water

[dave99]

10. "unlike the failed and extremely costly attempt by Obama and Biden" Which attempts ?

Lies as always from Republicans

[GopherGal]

13. BINGO!

That was in lieu of the free space on my Bingo card... "Blame Obama"

I admit to not having a separate bingo card for this week's crisis being "algae in reflecting pool" rather than "Iran nuclear deal" or something.

[Torchlight]

11. The results of electing Paris Hilton's

older, degenerate and mean-spirited twin. A For-Profit Presidency with commercial interruptions isn't what rational America signed up for.

[SpankMe]

12. If the reflecting pool is that important, a more active system would be required

I've been there. The pool is great from a distance, but it comes across like a sewer pond up close.

If this is a feature of the mall we'd like to put on display as a matter of national pride, then we should disinfect the pool with bromine like Disney does to the bodies of water in its parks, and we should implement some form of filtration/treatment system that runs 24-hours a day forever to keep on top of it.

The cost of this isn't trivial, but would probably not be outrageous, either. We need to decide if we want to have a monthly maintenance bill for the pond or just let it go and get what we get in terms of appearance and cleanliness.

[electric_blue68]

17. The few times I've been by there close up I Did Not have that impression....

Probably the late 90's.

[iemanja]

14. Some MAGAT congressman insisted liberals did it

They are so stupid, it hurts.

[WhatTheFlux]

15. The Reflecting Swamp

[LudwigPastorius]

16. Trump's Plan B:

"I'm gonna need 1,700 gallons of chlorine."