Taxpayers Spent Over $14 Million on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Here's Why It's Covered in Algae.

One of the most iconic landmarks in the United States is having a rough summer. The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool — a centerpiece of the National Mall and a backdrop for some of America's most historic moments — has become a symbol of something far less inspiring: a costly government renovation that is not going as planned.

Millions of visitors come to Washington, D.C. each year to see this stretch of water, and with the country preparing to celebrate its 250th anniversary, the pool was supposed to look its best. Instead, tourists are finding green algae, peeling paint, and mysterious white blobs floating on the surface — all after taxpayers spent more than $14 million on improvements.

What People Are Seeing at the Pool Right Now

When ABC News visited the site on Friday afternoon, June 19, 2026, the water was murky and green rather than the clean, clear blue that officials had promised. Algae lined the sides of the pool and spread across large portions of the middle. Unidentified white blobs could be seen floating on the surface. National Park Service workers were in the pool, using pumps to move the algae toward drains.

The pool's floor, which had been coated with a special "American flag blue" paint, was visibly peeling. Some visitors reached into the water and pulled out loose flakes of the coating, keeping them as unofficial souvenirs of the situation. A pair of protesters walked the perimeter of the pool holding a "Team Algae" sign, drawing laughs from onlookers who seemed as amused as they were baffled.

On social media, the scene sparked jokes connecting the algae-filled water to President Trump's longtime campaign promise to "drain the swamp." As one social media user put it sarcastically, "You've renewed and invigorated the Swamp."

How Much Did This Cost — and Who Is Paying?

The renovation was ordered by President Trump as part of his "Make America Beautiful" initiative, with the goal of having the Reflecting Pool gleaming in time for Fourth of July festivities and the America 250 celebration marking the nation's semiquincentennial.

In April, Trump told the public the pool could be cleaned up in about a week for roughly $1 million. That estimate did not hold. The repainting project alone ended up costing more than $14.65 million in taxpayer money, with additional costs rising as complications mounted.

On top of that, the National Park Service had already paid $1.74 million in public funds to an Ohio-based company called Green Water Solutions to install a "nanobubble" system specifically designed to prevent algae growth. That system does not appear to have stopped the current bloom.

Earlier this month, Trump expressed confidence that the work had been done right. "You're going to be very proud of it. It'll last for 50 to 100 years before you have to do anything, with very strong, powerful substance that we used," he said of the pool's new lining.

What Officials Are Saying — and What the Water Looks Like

On Wednesday night, the Department of the Interior posted a statement on X pushing back against the criticism. "The Reflecting Pool water is crystal clear, and our National Park Service team is now vacuuming up the dead algae resting on the bottom of some parts of the Reflecting pool," the department wrote.

More than a day after that statement was published, the water still appeared far from crystal clear to anyone standing at the pool's edge. The department has acknowledged that algae blooms have followed every reopening of the Reflecting Pool and that the vacuuming process would take a couple of days. The blooms first became noticeable late last week and worsened over the following days. ABC News reported it had reached out to the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior for further comment.

According to an Interior Department spokesperson, crews have used hydrogen peroxide treatments and the same nanobubble ozone technology that the Green Water Solutions system was meant to provide — to try to clear the water and cut down on the discoloration.

A Dead Duckling and Questions About Wildlife Safety

The controversy grew after a viral image showed a dead duckling floating in the pool over the weekend. Officials have not confirmed what killed the bird, but wildlife experts offered several possible explanations.

Krysten Schuler, a wildlife disease ecologist with the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab, pointed to naturally occurring toxins as one possibility. "Botulism, another toxin produced by the bacteria, Clostridium botulinum, has been identified previously in ducks dying on the reflecting pool," Schuler said.

Some observers online speculated that the hydrogen peroxide added to the pool to fight algae may have played a role. A White House administration official disputed that claim, stating, "The peroxide levels in the Reflecting pool have been tested — they are safe and at the same level used in natural swimming pools."

A DC Bird Alliance spokesperson pointed to a different, longer-standing hazard: "One concern that has been documented at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is that ducklings may follow their parents into the water but have difficulty exiting because of the pool's steep sides," adding that wildlife escape ramps "can reduce that risk."

Arrests Made — Including a Former U.S. Olympian

The peeling pool lining has also led to a series of arrests. An administration official said that as of Saturday night, five people had been arrested on vandalism charges related to the Reflecting Pool, with five others receiving citations. The U.S. Park Police did not immediately respond to questions from ABC News about the arrests.

Among those arrested was David Hearn, a three-time U.S. Olympian in canoe slalom. Hearn told ABC News that police took him into custody on Friday after he touched a piece of the blue coating that was already coming loose from the pool floor. He strongly denied causing any damage.

"I did not remove, I did not damage, I did not rip, tear, break, destroy or harm any part of the Reflecting Pool," Hearn said.

On Sunday, President Trump posted on Truth Social saying repair work would start right away. "Work will begin immediately on fixing the seriously vandalized Reflecting Pool," he wrote, claiming he had personally inspected the site and suggesting, without providing evidence, that some of the damage to the lining had been caused by deliberate sabotage.

Atlantic Industry Coatings, the company that installed the lining, confirmed on Sunday that the pool will need to be partially drained for repairs and that the work would be covered under the project's warranty. Crews are expected to continue working to clear the water as the busy summer tourism season builds toward the July 4th and America 250 celebrations.