“Puke green” and “split pea soup” are just two of the phrases being used to describe President Donald Trump’s algae-filled, green Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, as well as some catchy phrases like “Make Algae Great Again” and “Make Algae Green Again.”
Trump spent $14 million on upgrades to the famous landmark in Washington, D.C., in an effort to make the pool “function properly” and be full of sparkling, blue water in large part thanks to a brand-new paint job. The pool was drained and painted a color Trump is calling “American flag blue.”
Experts had fears about the outcome of this project from the beginning. The New York Times reported there were no plans to fix infrastructure problems with the pipes — and a paint job itself won’t fix the longstanding algae problem.
This is now fully evident. There is algae throughout the reflecting pool, and workers are doing all they can to get it under control, particularly ahead of the 250th anniversary celebrations planned in Washington, D.C., around the Fourth of July.
“Treatment of algae blooms is very costly and time-consuming, so we will have to see what happens before July 4,” said Sarah Goodrich, an adjunct professor in the geography department at the University of Cincinnati.
