‘Residual algae’ coats part of newly opened Reflecting Pool

By Kit Maher, CNN

(CNN) — The Trump administration has spent days heavily promoting the finished renovations at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, crediting the president with making Washington, DC, look “better than ever.”

But a day after the reservoir was filled post renovations, there was already quite a bit of algae visible from the water’s edge.

CNN spotted a worker clearing the algae from the bottom of the recently filled pool while shooting a video on Wednesday. Asked for comment, an Interior Department spokesperson said the algae is “residual” and a normal part of the early process of restarting operations at the Reflecting Pool.

“What you are seeing is residual algae from the supply lines, which have been sitting dormant for eight weeks while construction has been taking place. It’s part of the normal startup process. We are removing the algae, and the nanobubblers will maintain the pool and keep it algae free,” communications director Kate Martin said in a statement.

“President Donald J. Trump is an expert builder who has fixed the Reflecting Pool for good unlike the failed and extremely costly attempt by Obama and Biden,” she added.

Martin said that the National Park Service invested in “a state-of-the-art ozone nanobubbler filtration system” that is intended to keep algae out.

The Trump administration has been touting the newly renovated Reflecting Pool, and Trump himself has repeatedly bragged about the $14.2 million pet project in public remarks recently — including to farmers in Wisconsin and in multiple unrelated events in the Oval Office. Previously, he would disparage the state of the Reflecting Pool, saying it was feces-infested and in disrepair. He contended that previous administrations failed to repair leaks and other problems.

“The water is ON, the Reflecting Pool is reflecting, and D.C. is looking better than ever,” the White House X account posted last week, before the pool had finished filling with water.

The Interior Department provided the statement after CNN sent videos of the algae. Initially, the spokesperson said the Fish and Wildlife Service wasn’t convinced it was algae before explaining that it was “residual algae.”

A department official said they would have a firmer timeline tomorrow on when the residual algae will be removed, adding that they didn’t want to speculate on timing due to the rain.

The cost of the renovations has gradually ticked upward. The president had initially said the renovation would cost $1.8 million, but that went up to $13.1 million before seemingly settling at $14.2 million.

“I originally thought I’d do it for $2 or $3 million,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “Just do a base. But now we are fixing up the exterior of it so we will probably be in it for less than $20 million.”

According to a contract summary under the Obama administration, the cost for renovations to the Reflecting Pool at the time was $35.3 million.

Residents and tourists around the reflecting pool Wednesday morning offered mixed reviews on the renovations, including the “American flag blue” paint newly coating the bottom.

“I needed to come down to see if it was actually reflecting, and it wasn’t bright blue. And I’m impressed, to be honest. It reflects beautifully,” said Lara Harvey, who is from New Zealand but has lived in Bethesda the last 10 years. “I was expecting a swimming pool. I was expecting swimming pool blue, but I’m really surprised.”

Marcus Tate, who lives in Alexandria and had spotted the algae said, “DC is already a beautiful place” and criticized the administration for spending money on unnecessary upkeep and not doing more to help the homeless.

And Kyra Brown, a DC resident, was skeptical that the renovations were worth it. Looking at the renovation from the steps beyond the pool, she said, “It doesn’t look that much different, honestly, to me.”

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CNN’s Abigail Roedersheimer contributed to this report.