Why Washington’s reflecting pool has gone from ‘US blue’ to algae green
US President Donald Trump, who spent $14m relining the iconic pool, claims it has been vandalised by ‘radical left lunatics’. The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
US President Donald Trump, who spent $14m relining the iconic pool, claims it has been vandalised by ‘radical left lunatics’. The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC has turned green with algae just weeks after it underwent a major multimillion-dollar renovation to make it shine an “American flag blue” colour. On Friday, US President Donald Trump said on his Truth Social platform that the site had been vandalised, suggesting damage was done by “radical left lunatics”, but that the algae that had appeared was being cleaned up. “We’ve had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool,” Trump said. “The algae is 75% gone, and the condition will soon be completely remedied, and the area that was vandalized, fortunately, is just a small area of damage, and will be fixed early next week.” Trump, however, did not provide evidence to support his allegation of vandalism, which he said included someone pouring corrosive chemicals into the pool. Here’s what we know What has happened to the pool? The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which was constructed in 1922, is near the Lincoln Memorial where Martin Luther King Jr delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech in the United States capital in 1963. The bottom of the pool has been repainted in a colour Trump calls “American flag blue”, and on June 6, he announced the renovation work for the project, which cost $14.7m, was complete. But last week, the blue material at the bottom of the pool began peeling off – with parts of it seen floating on top of the water – and the water had turned verdant with algae. Since June 16, US Park Service work crews have been pouring hydrogen peroxide into the pool to combat the algae bloom. A spokesperson for the Interior Department told Reuters that the pool is being treated with “high-tech nanobubble ozone technology” that kills algae, pathogens including E. coli, and other contaminants. The department added that the hydrogen peroxide also being used is “a milder treatment than chlorine” that is used in swimming pools. Why is Trump claiming sabotage? With the water in the reflecting pool having turned a visible green, on Friday, Trump claimed the site had been vandalised and wrote on his Truth Social platform: “Just like three days ago, they destroyed the grass outside of the Pool, they’ve also done everything possible to hurt the inside surface that was just installed.” On Saturday, he said Park Police “have arrested multiple individuals for vandalizing our Nations magnificent Reflecting Poll”, correcting his spelling to “Pool” later.
He went on: “Who would do such a thing? These are very serious crimes having to do with the destruction of Monuments. Years in jail!” One man arrested was David Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, who owns a company making composites that are used to build watercraft. He told the Associated Press that he stopped by the pool during a 103km (64-mile) bike ride on Friday just to see what was going on. Hearn, a former Olympic canoe racer, said he reached into the pool because he wanted to examine the peeling new coating. He said he briefly touched a chunk that was still attached to the side of the pool, then let go shortly after a park worker told him to. But, Hearn said, he was then detained by Guard troops and Park Police for five hours before being released on Friday night. “I’m a curious citizen,” Hearn told AP. “I reached down to see what it felt like. It was very rubbery.” Trump, however, said on Friday, that the incident was “no different than the chemicals that were used on the Mall, they used something similar in the Reflecting Pool to try to destroy and demean our beautiful work”. The US president was referring to the discovery of large numbers etched in discoloured grass on the Mall the week before: “86 47“. Authorities said the numbers could have been meant as a threat to Trump, the 47th president. The number 86 can be slang for “getting rid of”. Investigations into the matter are ongoing. But experts have told US media that algae blooms in water are common at this time of year. Rosalina Stancheva Christova, a professor of aquatic ecology at George Mason University in Virginia who took water samples from the pool for testing last Tuesday, told US radio broadcaster NPR on June 19 that the algae is “growing in excessive amounts” but is not toxic. She said this kind of green algae is found all over the region during this time of the year and added that the reflecting pool provides “excellent conditions” like strong sunlight and shallow and stagnant water, which promote its growth. She added that “the disturbance of the pond during the renovations [is] accelerating this process [of the algae growth]”.
The BriefWire