'American Flag Blue' paint on Reflecting Pool reportedly peels after algae bloom

Days after completion of the multi-million dollar renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, the "American Flag Blue" paint is reported peeling off from the bottom. Several posts on social media show that U.S. federal government workers continue to struggle with the green hue that has swept across Washington's reflecting pool due to a record algae bloom. Now, many claim chunks of the coating laid at the bottom are coming off and floating in the murky waters. 

After President Donald Trump ordered a $14.7 million refurbishment to turn the monument blue in time for the country's 250th birthday celebrations, the administration hastily completed the renovations and re-filled the pool with crystal clear water, according to Reuters. However, within days, the monument encountered an algae bloom that caused the color of the water to fluctuate between shades of green. Reports showed workers pouring chemicals like hydrogen peroxide into the water to control the algae. 

Despite the efforts, the water remained green, and reports on Thursday showed parts of the coating laid by Atlantic Industrial Coatings in an effort to turn the monument "American flag blue" had started peeling off. Pictures and videos on social media showed chunks of the coating material peeling and floating in the water. 

However, the Interior Department has maintained that the pool isn't facing any issues and the algae reports are circulated by "fake news media" who have now fled the site. On Thursday, the department shared multiple images claiming the pool's water was "crystal clear" post-vacuuming and that a "nanobubbler technology" had "very effectively killed the algae." '"The photos below show how the nanobubbler technology and vacuuming have been incredibly effective, making the water crystal clear with the coating shining brightly on the bottom of the pool," the department wrote on X. 

The historic pool has long struggled with leakage and algae issues, and multiple administrations have tried and failed to fix them. In 2012, President Barack Obama's administration spent $34 million on an 18-month renovation of the pool, which included the installation of advanced filtration systems. However, shortly after that renovation was completed, the pool again became filled with algae, bird waste, and dead ducks, as per CNN. Trump made the issue political and ordered his own renovation project, which was initially projected to cost $1.8 million.

The project became a controversial subject after the U.S. Interior Department handed a no-bid contract to a Virginia-based company, Atlantic Industrial Coatings, to waterproof and repaint the site. The firm had previously carried out work on a swimming pool at one of the President's golf clubs. The administration initially claimed that the pool would be drained and the "residual" algae would be cleared immediately after the renovations. However, the algae proliferated in the warm weather, and according to the Washington Post, analysis of satellite imagery shows the bloom was one of the biggest ever recorded in the monument's history.