Workers dump hydrogen peroxide into reflecting pool to fight algae

The National Park Service is deploying hydrogen peroxide in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to combat algae growth, according to a Department of the Interior (DOI) spokesperson.

This effort follows the Trump administration’s controversial $13.1 million renovation of the iconic water feature on the National Mall. These renovations included repainting the base of the pool “American flag blue” and mending leaking joints.

Videos shared on social media on Tuesday morning depicted workers dumping gallon bottles of the chemical into the 2,028-foot pool, which has turned green due to the algae bloom.

The park service is using hydrogen peroxide in addition to an advanced filtration system that deploys ozone-injected nanobubbles to break down toxins and contaminants in the pool, the DOI spokesperson said.

Hydrogen peroxide is used in spas and natural swimming pools as a less-harsh alternative to chlorine treatments. The DOI spokesperson said the chemical has “no harmful side effects to marine life or to the environment.”

The pricey pool renovation project has drawn public criticism over President Trump’s aesthetic choices and a no-bid contract.

D.C.-based nonprofit Cultural Landscape Foundation and its founder, Charles Birnbaum, alleged in a lawsuit filed in May that the new blue paint coating compromised the “historic character” of the pool without proper authority.

Trump dismissed criticism that the renovations were just a “paint job” following its reopening earlier this month.

“This was not a paint job,” the president wrote in a Truth Social post. “This was highly sophisticated material, industrial strength, that could last for 100 years … The material is thick, strong, flexible, and has a natural, beautiful color, the dark blue of the American Flag!”

Additionally, the project drew criticism over the DOI’s decision to award a no-bid contract to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a Virginia firm that has repaired pools at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va. This was the company’s first federal contract.

The firm received a 20 percent profit margin on this project — well above the typical rate for federal construction projects, The New York Times reported.

A DOI spokesperson told The Hill last month that the contract price “reflects the effort necessary” to complete the project ahead of Independence Day celebrations for America’s 250th birthday on the National Mall.