The Trump administration's high-profile renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has run into trouble, with fresh algae blooms and peeling paint emerging just weeks after completion. The project, part of a series of beautification efforts ahead of the nation's 250th anniversary, has also drawn criticism over its no-bid contract and escalating costs.
No-Bid Contract Under Fire
President Trump announced plans in April to overhaul the century-old pool, citing leaks and vowing to repaint the bottom a shade of "American flag blue." He repeatedly condemned the pool's condition, labeling it an "embarrassment to our Country." However, the project sparked controversy after the Department of the Interior awarded a no-bid contract to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a Virginia firm previously hired for work at Trump's golf club in Sterling. This marked the company's first federal contract.
Confusion arose when Trump initially claimed he had spoken to a man he knew about the job, only to later retract that statement. The New York Times reported that the contract carried an inflated profit margin. A National Park Service analysis found the firm received a 20 percent margin—well above typical rates—adding at least $850,000 to the project's cost. An Interior spokesperson defended the price, telling The Hill it "reflects the effort necessary" to meet the Independence Day deadline on the National Mall.
Costs Balloon to $14.7 Million
Federal records show the contract's value has surged to $14.7 million. Initially set at $12.8 million, it rose by over $1.5 million in just the past month. On June 3, the contract's end date, a transaction pushed costs to $14.2 million. Then, on June 15, an additional $460,000 charge brought the total to $14.7 million, with no clear explanation for the expense. The funding comes from the Recreation Enhancement Fee Program, which relies on park visitor entrance fees.
Algae Bloom and Peeling Paint
Green algae quickly reappeared after the renovations, turning the pool from blue to green. The Interior Department announced on social media that nanobubbler technology was deployed to kill the algae, a problem that "has plagued every Lincoln Reflecting Pool reopening—most infamously Obama's reopening—since 1922." The department added, "The Reflecting Pool water is crystal clear, and our National Park Service team is now vacuuming up the dead algae resting on the bottom... just like the destroyed Iranian Navy resting on the bottom of the Persian Gulf."
Workers were photographed pouring hydrogen peroxide into the pool to combat the algae. An Interior spokesperson assured the chemical has "no harmful side effects to marine life or to the environment." Meanwhile, Trump personally selected the pool's bottom color, but the paint began peeling within two weeks, with photos showing it floating to the surface. The president had boasted in a Truth Social post that the material is "thick, strong, flexible, and has a natural, beautiful color, the dark blue of the American Flag!"
Broader Context
The pool renovation is one of several Trump beautification projects in Washington, D.C., ahead of the semiquincentennial. The controversies add to a pattern of scrutiny over the administration's contracting practices, as seen in other areas like unprecedented graft allegations. The Hill has reached out to Interior for further comment on the peeling paint and cost overruns.
