Washington’s Reflecting Pool turns green as blue paint peels off bottom

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is once again showing the limits of a costly federal fix. After weeks of renovation, the more than 2,000-foot basin between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument has turned green with algae, while the new “American Flag Blue” coating is peeling from the bottom.

The failure lands on one of the most symbolic axes in the capital, a landscape first laid out in the 1902 McMillan Plan. The Lincoln Memorial was dedicated in 1922, the Reflecting Pool was completed two years later, and the site has long been treated as part memorial, part civic stage, meant to project order, permanence and national pride.

The National Park Service had already acknowledged that the pool’s water system was vulnerable. A compromised water line had hurt circulation and contributed to recurring algae growth and a visible green tint. In 2018, the park service said the pool should be drained, cleaned and repaired, with refilling expected by the week of June 16.

The current rehabilitation has gone well beyond a simple cleaning. Federal contracting records show about $1.7 million was awarded to Green Water Solutions for an ozone nanobubbling system and about $14.2 million went to Atlantic Industrial Coatings to line the pool in American Flag Blue, bringing the total to roughly $14.7 million. Donald Trump originally quoted a cost of about $1.5 million when announcing the work, and crews spent weeks painting the basin at his direction ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday in 2026.

The National Park Service said the work included cleaning the pool, repairing joints and installing lining material, part of a broader beautification effort tied to preparation for the semiquincentennial. Yet the return of algae soon after the refill, along with the peeling finish, has raised fresh questions about whether the chosen materials were right for a public monument exposed to constant water, sunlight and heavy scrutiny.

Local coverage has described crews scrubbing algae and using nanobubble ozone technology in response. One expert said the dark color itself may be worsening the algae problem. Images of cleanup equipment also showed 12 percent hydrogen peroxide concentrate in use, underscoring how aggressively workers have had to respond to a problem that was supposed to be solved by a multimillion-dollar renovation.

What was meant to be a showcase of stewardship has instead become a test of it, at a landmark where every visible flaw now reads as a judgment on federal oversight.