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The Trump administration has come up with a liquid solution for the growing algae problem in the newly renovated Reflecting Pool: Bleach.
On Tuesday, workers outfitted in neon vests were seen dumping hydrogen peroxide into the roughly 2,000-foot body of water, which had turned green just days after the president’s much touted $14 million refurbishment wrapped up, The Daily Beast reported.
Photos show crews unloading numerous large boxes — apparently filled with the cleaning solution — at multiple points along the pool’s perimeter.
A close-up of the materials showed workers were using a 12 percent concentration, which the CDC warns can cause respiratory issues if inhaled and chemical burns upon skin contact, according to The New Republic. At high concentrations, hydrogen peroxide may also pose a risk to wildlife, including ducks that are often seen splashing around in the pool.
Some visitors were shocked by the state of the pool.
This week, workers were seen dumping bleach into the Reflecting Pool next to the Lincoln Memorial after it turned green (Reuters)
U.S. National Park Service workers dump bottles of hydrogen peroxide in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool as part of their effort to mitigate an algae bloom which followed the completion of recent renovations in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 16 (Reuters)
“I think it’s a mess. I’ve never seen it this green before,” one area resident complained to The Daily Beast. “I was expecting green, but it’s a little greener than I thought it would be,” he observed.
Just days earlier, the Trump administration completed its resurfacing project in the pool, which the president had vowed would be painted “American flag blue.” Workers with large rollers had been seen laboring inside the drained basin for over a month. Trump had promised the work would cost about $2 million, but it ended up coming in at $14 million.
But after Trump hailed his refurbishment as a major victory, photographers and visitors noted this weekend that the water had turned a distinct shade of green as algae began to accumulate.
Just days after Trump’s $14 million refurbishment was completed, the Reflecting Pool became overgrown with algae (AP)
A view of the greenish Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after recent renovations following a directive from U.S President Donald Trump to paint it blue (Reuters)
In response to the build-up, an Interior Department spokesperson took a swipe at former President Barack Obama.
“The nanobubbler technology has successfully destroyed the algae bloom that has plagued every pool reopening since 1922, most infamously, the Obama pool reopening that resulted in massive algae clumps taking over the pool’s surface,” the spokesperson told The New York Post Monday.
“Now, due to deploying the advanced nanobubbler technology, the algae is dead and being vacuumed up as we speak,” the spokesperson said, adding that the National Park Service was “actually maintaining” the pool “versus previous administrations.”
On Monday, Park Service workers were also seen wading into the pool and clearing out clumps of algae.
The Independent has reached out to the Interior Department, which oversees National Park Service, for comment.