It was a big, bright blue American flag.
Then it’s green. And after that it was seen with pieces of floating paint.
US President Donald Trump’s plan to renovate the 600-foot-tall Lincoln Memorial display pool in Washington, DC, for the country’s 250th anniversary has failed spectacularly.
The US$14.7-million swimming pool renovation and recent rapid deterioration has become the laughingstock of internet jokes. Some have called June “ALGAEBTQ Pride Month” or commented that Trump, who promised to “drain the swamp” in Washington, has instead created a swamp.
In one viral video, mixologist Adam Wild made a “reflecting pool” margarita, using matcha to mimic the green color of a pool.
Jokes aside, the debate has led to at least six arrests and the status of the lake is still in question with ten days to go before the 4th of July celebration.
And it’s not all Trump’s fault — the showing pool has been causing problems for over a century.
The program
The rectangular, concrete-bottomed pool was built in the 1920s and, depending on the vantage point, can reflect the Washington Monument or the Lincoln Memorial. It attracts millions of visitors every year.
Still, shallow water is also an ideal breeding ground for algae. Due to the fact that it was built in the swamps, it has been sinking over time, which has caused cracks in the pipes and other headaches.
The National Park Service tried to fix some of these problems with an 18-month, $34-million program that began in 2010 under former president Barack Obama.
But within weeks of its reopening in 2012, it had to be drained and washed because its surface was covered with algae.
In April of this year, Trump, who said the lake looked “disgusting,” announced plans to return the bottom to the “blue American flag” and make it “beautiful.”
He commissioned Atlantic Industrial Coatings, which had worked on his golf club in Virginia, to do the job.
US President Donald Trump’s attempt to repair and repaint the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC, is not going as planned. Andrew Chang breaks down the race to fix a host of issues on Independence Day, from large curbs of peeling paint to swamp algae blooms. (Image credits: The Canadian Press, Reuters, Adobe Stock and Getty Images)
What went wrong?
Show off the summer heat. Just a few days after the work was completed on June 6, the algae had turned the water green.
The “American blue” paint may have played a role, the dark interior absorbs more sunlight.
“The warm water allows for aggressive algae growth so you can reasonably estimate that the color has affected the algae,” Ontario swimming pool expert Steve Goodale told CBC News by email.
But Goodale and other experts say there could be many factors at play, including phosphate and nitrate levels, the quality of the water being pumped into the lake and the cleanliness of the pipes.
Even if all the variables are accounted for, Goodale said, “the initial start of a program like this can sometimes cause sudden algae growth.”
Trying to fix this problem, the National Park Service staff poured bottles of e hydrogen peroxide he entered the lake and began cleaning the algae himself.
And then things took a turn for the worse, when large chunks of green paint began to peel off and float to the surface of the lake.
Experts say hydrogen peroxide, which can be used to strip paint, may have contributed to the peeling, although it was likely a combination of factors related to the way the pool’s walls and floor were prepared before painting.
Less than two weeks after US President Donald Trump praised a ‘wonderful’ $15-million upgrade, Washington’s famous lake is peeling and rotting from algae. Trump hired the same company that works on one of his golf courses, without competing bids.
“For us to know about another test will have to be done,” said Goodale.
Multiple media outlets have reported that the Trump administration has awarded another no-bid contract to Green Water Solutions, owned by major Trump donor John Cafaro, to clean up the water.
A DC Water official said Monday that it has issued a permit to drain the pool, and the maintenance company says it will repair the pool as part of its warranty.
Arrest and accusation
Trump, without evidence, he accused the vandals in a historic situation, threatening 10-year sentences for vandalizing state property.
On Monday, he accused people of putting fertilizers in the water to create algae and said a A 290-to-300-foot “strip” was cut from the lake, probably with a knife or box cutter. He later said it was a 350 meter slit.
Many have questioned these allegations.
“There is a 24/7 camera and other cameras that may be showing the Reflecting Pool,” Democratic House Representative Ted Lieu of California, speaking on X. “If someone walked into the lake and made a 250 foot gash, it would be visible.”
Trump said on Tuesday that six people have been arrested in connection with the damage and seven others have been cited, as he repeated his allegations that the damage was “intentionally and criminally committed.”
One of those arrested was David Hearn, a 67-year-old three-time Olympic rower from Bethesda, Md., who told The Associated Press that he briefly touched the paint on the side of the lake, then let go after a park employee told him to.
Hearn said he was then detained by National Guard soldiers and US park rangers for several hours.
Norm Eisen, an attorney representing Hearn, called the misconduct charges “outrageous.”
“We cannot allow the Justice Department to torture American citizens by touching the water,” he said It’s All About Chris Hayes in MS Now. “That would not be a crime.”
On Wednesday, multiple news outlets reported that the Trump administration was installing a fence around the lake. A White House spokeswoman told Fortune that the area was set to be cordoned off on July 4, but this was done earlier due to “increased vandalism by left-wing extremists.”
The White House did not provide evidence of the vandalism, or the political leanings of the potential vandals.
