ALGAE BLOOM MARS TRUMP'S $14.2M REFLECTING POOL RENOVATION

Green algae have proliferated in the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool days after the completion of a $14.2 million renovation project. The pool had been intended to be transformed to "American flag blue" ahead of the United States' 250th birthday celebrations. The algae growth occurred amid warm weather conditions following the project's conclusion.

The renovation included waterproofing and repainting work on the reflecting pool, a site over a century old located in Washington DC. A no-bid contract for the work was awarded to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a Virginia-based company that had previously undertaken work at one of the president's golf clubs. The Department of the Interior stated that residual algae would be cleared immediately after renovation, though this did not occur as anticipated.

The Department of the Interior subsequently announced the installation of a water treatment system utilising nanobubbler technology to address the algae issue. A spokesperson stated the technology had successfully destroyed the algae bloom and that the algae was being removed. The reflecting pool holds historical significance as the location of Martin Luther King's 1963 "I have a dream" speech.