DC Reflecting Pool Growing Algae Just Days After Trump’s $14M Renovation

(AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

The Reflecting Pool on the National Mall has already begun to grow algae just days after President Donald Trump’s major renovation project was officially completed.

The landmark has been the subject of controversy since the project began, with critics pointing to budget ballooning from a little under $2 million to a staggering $14 million. Trump contracted Atlantic Industrial Coatings for the project to be completed ahead of the celebrations for the 250th anniversary of America.

In the days since its completion, however, the pool has begun to show blemishes. A Thursday report from The Washington Post added:

Now, days after the pool was refilled, clumps of green algae have been spotted throughout the water. Noticed on two separate visits to the Reflecting Pool this week, the algae coated several areas of the bottom of the pool, including the east and west ends, close to the World War II Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial, and floated on the surface.

An algae spot near the World War II Memorial grew significantly bigger between a rainy Wednesday afternoon and Thursday, which was hot and muggy.

In a statement obtained by The Washington Post, Interior Department spokesperson Katie Martin claimed it was “residual algae from the supply lines which have been sitting dormant for eight weeks while construction has been taking place.” She added that the presence of algae was merely “part of the normal startup process.”

In response to the backlash for the project, Trump has repeatedly attacked his critics. One instance involved a bizarre AI-generated image of the president filling the pool himself with tears.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!