Controversy Over Algae Growth at Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool

The Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool has been under maintenance this week as workers address a spike in algae levels. This comes shortly after a substantial $14 million renovation.

The project, completed under President Donald Trump’s administration, was recently declared by the President to have been “done properly” with an expectation to last a century.

However, workers have encountered challenges as the newly applied “American Flag Blue” paint chips off while they clean the algae. Floating paint sheets were observed during these efforts.

Photos captured by Christine Kao of The Washington Post show the ongoing work and conditions at the iconic site. The maintenance aims to preserve the aesthetic and environmental quality of the area, but recent developments call the effectiveness of the renovations into question.