politics
Trump Administration Orders Urgent Cleanup of Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Ahead of July 4
Federal workers are being mobilized to scrub algae from the recently renovated pool. The effort is part of preparations for the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
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The Trump administration is directing federal workers and potentially volunteers to scrub and pump out the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool before Independence Day events. An internal National Park Service email elevated the work to a regional and national priority and requested additional personnel for the operations.
The pool reopened after a renovation that cost more than $14 million and included draining the basin, structural repairs, and application of a darker coating intended to produce an American flag blue finish.
Within days of reopening, a visible algae bloom appeared. 7 million for an ozone nanobubbler system. The work went to Atlantic Industrial Coatings of Virginia through a no-bid contract.
A University of Virginia researcher recorded chlorophyll-a levels in the pool at the highest June reading in at least five years and among the highest monthly readings in the past two years. Officials have described the bloom as part of a normal startup process after construction and have deployed filtration, vacuuming, and hydrogen peroxide treatments.
The cleanup is part of a broader administration effort to overhaul Washington ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary, including restoration of several long-dormant fountains.
A Department of the Interior spokesperson said the Trump administration is marshaling resources to ensure the capital is absolutely stunning in honor of the 250th celebrations, unlike the Obama and Biden administrations. U.S. Park Police opened an investigation after large 8647 markings appeared in the grass near the Washington Monument.
A Department of the Interior official stated that deranged vandalism on the National Mall will not be tolerated and any threat against the President is taken very seriously. The Trump administration is seeking to dismiss a lawsuit filed by The Cultural Landscape Foundation, which argues that the repainting of the reflecting pool basin unlawfully altered a protected historic feature without required consultation under federal preservation law.
