The same day the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool started to turn a brilliant chartreuse, the National Park Service began exploring a new plan to upgrade the water treatment pipes that feed the pool — the same frequently cracking and leaking pipes that the Trump administration knew were a problem well before it began more superficial repairs on the pool earlier this year.
The Trump administration had already declared the $15 million repairs on the reflecting pool complete, but an algae bloom was now stopping the president from closing the book on the project.
Days later, the National Park Service quietly updated its rules for any future company it hires to maintain the pool: They have to keep the water in a “clean, clear, and aesthetically acceptable condition.”
In other words, no algae and no dead ducklings.
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These two new, previously unreported plans indicate that the Trump administration’s repair efforts over the last several months have not succeeded in solving the longstanding problems that plague the reflecting pool.
The Trump administration first began repainting the reflecting pool in April as part of a long list of rushed D.C. beautification projects targeted to be completed by the July Fourth, 250th birthday celebration. The reflecting pool project was the most expensive of the fountain and park repairs in Washington, D.C.
It was also the most controversial; both contracts for repainting and for a new water maintenance effort were awarded quickly and without competition to companies with ties to Trump. The administration has not abandoned those contracts, but the two new plans could be open for competition from other companies.
While the situation at the pool grew increasingly absurd, the park service issued what’s known as a “sources sought notice,” asking for information from businesses that might be interested in a project to repair and replace the water treatment lines that feed the pool. The park service previously said that residual water in the pipes is what led to the algal bloom in the first place. The frequent cracking in the pipes makes it difficult for the pool to maintain its water levels, according to a New York Times report.
The construction work would take more than 200 days and involve erecting a temporary construction fence stretching from one midpoint of the pool across the green of the mall to the U.S. Park Police stables, where the water treatment building currently sits, according to construction drawings reviewed by NOTUS.
Companies were given just 15 days to submit information. The deadline is Thursday.
Meanwhile, the newly modified plan for a water treatment contract, updated in a government database on June 18, was significantly altered just one month after the initial solicitation for a new contract was published. It gives whatever contractor wins the award just 30 days to bring the reflecting pool into compliance with “the desired water quality and aesthetics of the pool.”
For the first time, the new proposal specifies in great detail that the reflecting pool must be kept without any sort of visible floating debris and persistent algae growth, and that the stones surrounding the pool must be pressure washed weekly instead of monthly.
It also gives the park service the right to determine “whether conditions are acceptable based upon visual inspection and the overall appearance of the Reflecting Pool.”
The reflecting pool is notoriously difficult to maintain, and its quirks have defeated long-planned and costly efforts from previous presidents, most recently when former President Barack Obama undertook an expensive repair project that also resulted in regular algae outbreaks.
A company called Pearl Purity Water Solutions has been responsible for helping keep the water clean since at least 2015, according to government spending records. Its current contract, which is not nearly so specific in its requirements, could be extended as far as August 2027, but the start date for this new proposed contract is August 2026. It’s not clear whether the Trump administration is looking to update Pearl Purity’s current contract or find a new contractor.
Pearl Purity did not respond to NOTUS’ request for comment about whether it intends to bid for the contract with the new requirements.
The Interior Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Within days of the Trump administration announcing that its repairs were completed, algae growth ballooned across the reflecting pool, prompting remediation efforts that ranged from hydrogen peroxide to vacuuming. Within weeks, chunks of the new “American Flag Blue” paint were spotted floating in the now-green water. The administration began arresting people for touching the water and trying to take pieces of floating paint, accusing them of vandalism and sabotage.
Several dead ducklings were found in and around the pool (with experts speculating that the algae or the chemicals used to treat it could be responsible for their deaths), and National Guard soldiers were assigned to guard the pool’s edge.
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