Rips appear in Reflecting Pool's new surface after algae turn water green

President Trump's efforts to spruce up the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool faced a snag this week, with algae turning the h2o a fluorescent greenish hue portion rips appeared successful an "American Flag Blue" aboveground handpicked by the president.

The century-old Reflecting Pool has agelong faced problems with leaks, algae and faulty plumbing. In April, the president launched an effort to code the pool's "terrible" condition, portion of a slate of outpouring cleaning projects successful Washington, D.C., up of the nation's 250th day — arsenic Mr. Trump seeks to enactment his architectural stamp connected the city. 

Mr. Trump had the pool's chromatic flooring coated with a sealant helium called the "latest and top filament" and an "industrial-grade" saltation of swimming excavation liner. He told reporters helium personally chose the sealant's color: "American Flag Blue." Federal contracts for the project were valued astatine much than $14 million.

But respective days ago, aft h2o was pumped backmost in, a sheen of greenish algae appeared.

A household of ducks swims among algae successful the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool connected June 16. Photo by Emily Alff/Sipa USA via AP Images

A Department of the Interior spokesperson told CBS News past play the algae outbreak was "part of the mean startup process" and would beryllium cleaned retired shortly.

"What you are seeing is residual algae from the proviso lines which person been sitting dormant for 8 weeks portion operation has been taking place," the spokesperson said. "President Donald J. Trump is an adept builder who has fixed the Reflecting Pool for bully dissimilar the failed and highly costly effort by Obama and Biden."

Workers were seen successful caller days removing algae from the Reflecting Pool, and connected Tuesday morning, crews dumped bottles of hydrogen peroxide into the water.

This greeting astatine the reflecting excavation pic.twitter.com/uygkbcn7Mn

— bob kovach (@bkovoDC) June 16, 2026

National Park Service employees region algae from the bottommost of the recently painted Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool connected the National Mall connected June 16. Mehmet Eser/Anadolu via Getty Images

A achromatic plume of "ozone nano bubbles" is enactment into the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool arsenic it is cleaned of algae connected June 16. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

The Department of the Interior said connected societal media Wednesday that the h2o is present "crystal clear," and workers were "vacuuming up the dormant algae." Moving forward, the bureau said it is utilizing an precocious instrumentality called a "nanobubbler" to forestall algae from reappearing successful the Reflecting Pool.

Then, connected Thursday, a teardrop was spotted successful portion of the worldly that was applied to the level of the pool. CBS News has reached retired to the Department of the Interior for much information.

Seen done algae-laden greenish water, a teardrop successful the precocious applied sealant tin beryllium seen connected the bottommost of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool connected June 18. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

The Trump administration's renovations people the 2nd clip successful little than 20 years that the Reflecting Pool was overhauled, pursuing a more than $30 cardinal project aboriginal successful the Obama administration. Despite those efforts, the excavation inactive faced algae blooms and needed to beryllium emptied retired periodically to cleanable retired algae, goose droppings and different detritus.

Mr. Trump vowed successful April to marque the Reflecting Pool "beautiful" and "the mode it's expected to be." At 1 point, erstwhile workers were installing the caller sealant, the president rode successful his motorcade onto the dried-out excavation level — which is the magnitude of astir 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools — and inspected the job. 

It's the latest renovation task successful and astir D.C. spearheaded by the Trump administration. The president's squad besides repaired fountains passim the city, tore down the White House's East Wing to marque mode for a ballroom, attempted to adjacent the Kennedy Center for renovations, and drew up plans for a gigantic triumphal arch crossed the stream from the superior successful Virginia.

The existent property developer-turned-politician has taken a idiosyncratic involvement successful galore of the projects, displaying mock-ups and speaking astatine magnitude astir the plans during White House events.

Mr. Trump and his medication person formed the renovations arsenic much-needed efforts to beautify nationalist landmarks they reason were neglected for years. 

Critics, however, person called immoderate of the projects self-aggrandizing and accused Mr. Trump of making melodramatic changes without getting support from Congress oregon input from the public. Several of the projects drew lawsuits, and a justice blocked the medication from closing the Kennedy Center oregon renaming it to adhd Mr. Trump's name.

The recently refurbished Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is contaminated by algae, arsenic seen from the Washington Monument connected June 17. AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta