The Reflecting Pool renovation on the National Mall was supposed to be a triumph — a famous landmark transformed into “American flag blue” just in time for the nation’s 250th anniversary. Instead, the freshly refurbished water has turned a murky dark green, courtesy of an algae bloom that arrived even faster than the renovation itself.

The result is an awkward stumble for President Donald Trump, who had repeatedly boasted that he made the iconic pool look far better than any of his predecessors managed.

A Blue Dream Goes Green

The Trump administration poured millions into reviving the Reflecting Pool, aiming for a striking blue hue to anchor the upcoming celebrations. Trump made the project a personal showcase, even driving across the pool while it was under construction to admire the coming color.

“It never had the color people wanted, but now it’s going to have the great color,” he said at the time.

But the vision didn’t survive a heat wave. After last weekend’s hot weather, Washington residents began noticing the pool had shifted from its promised blue to a dark green — just days after Trump celebrated the finished work on Truth Social, describing the surface as a “very complex, but powerful, Dark Blue.”

Why Algae Took Over

The green tint isn’t a mystery to scientists. Shallow, human-made bodies of water like the Reflecting Pool are especially vulnerable to algal growth for a few simple reasons:

• They sit warm and fully exposed to sunlight
• They often collect nutrients that feed algae
• Their broad, shallow design lets sunlight reach the organisms easily

Nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus are the main culprits behind algal blooms, according to the CDC. Those nutrients come from familiar sources: droppings from the geese and ducks that gather near the pool, and fertilizer washed in by runoff after rainstorms. Algae use sunlight to fuel photosynthesis, and the pool’s wide, sun-soaked footprint gives them everything they need to multiply quickly.

The Government’s Response

When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the Interior Department turned the situation into a jab at previous administrations, claiming that unlike under Obama and Biden, the National Park Service is actually maintaining the pool.

The agency outlined its cleanup approach, which includes:

• “High-tech nanobubble ozone technology” intended to kill algae, pathogens, and contaminants
• Hydrogen peroxide treatment, described as a gentler alternative to chlorine and commonly used in spas and natural swimming pools

The spokesperson insisted there are no harmful side effects to marine life or the environment.

A Ballooning Price Tag

The cost of the project has drawn nearly as much attention as its color. Eddie Wood, owner of Atlantic Industrial Coatings LLC — the firm hired to handle the pool’s lining — said the work was initially priced at $13.1 million but rose to $14.6 million after the park service expanded the original scope.

The Interior Department defended the increase, attributing it to the effort required to speed up completion ahead of the anniversary. That acceleration, the spokesperson said, meant more people, more materials, more equipment, and longer hours. The statement also pointed to additional work beautifying the surrounding area, including repairing chipped granite, applying new caulking, pressure washing sidewalks, and cleaning the Lincoln Memorial steps.

The department did not dispute the $14.6 million figure — even though Trump himself had publicly pegged the cost at around $10 million.

Controversy and Legal Pushback

The Reflecting Pool project, like many of Trump’s efforts to reshape Washington, has faced friction from the start.

Questions have swirled around how the contract was awarded. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum — who has jokingly called himself Trump’s “pool guy” — told lawmakers he was confident all required bidding rules were followed. Wood, however, told NBC News the project was a sole-source contract.

Preservationists have also fought back. The Cultural Landscape Foundation sued the administration in May in an attempt to block the redesign altogether. An attorney for the group argued that the pool’s original dark grey basin wasn’t an oversight but an intentional part of the design itself.

Critics in Congress have been blunt. Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said American taxpayers should feel cheated and angry, calling the project a “bottomless pit of expense and failure.” He marveled that something as straightforward as a reflecting pool could end up overpriced, over budget, and visibly failing.

A Broader Reshaping of the Capital

The Reflecting Pool is just one piece of a much larger push to remake Washington ahead of the 250th anniversary, which the administration plans to mark with a series of events. The pace of these renovations has accelerated as the milestone approaches.

Other projects on Trump’s list include restoring fountains and resurfacing the World War II Memorial fountain. He has also championed a controversial ballroom project that involved demolishing the White House’s East Wing, along with plans for a 250-foot arch near the Potomac River. Both efforts have drawn legal challenges from preservationists, veterans, and historians.

Optics Versus Reality

Perhaps the most telling detail came on Monday, when the White House posted a photo of the pool looking pristine and blue alongside the caption about making D.C. “safe and beautiful again.” At the moment that image went out, the actual water was green.

That gap between the promotional image and the visible reality captures the broader tension surrounding the project. Trump had pledged to have his D.C. beautification efforts wrapped up by July 4, framing them as proof of his administration’s effectiveness. He told reporters in the Oval Office that everyone was marveling at the pool, insisting, “We did a hell of a job.”

For now, though, the landmark meant to dazzle visitors with patriotic blue is instead drawing attention for an entirely different shade — and raising fresh questions about cost, oversight, and whether even a simple reflecting pool can live up to the promises made about it.