The new paint job at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool appears to be peeling just two weeks after reopening, according to video footage from the Washington Examiner.
The latest blunder on the National Mall comes after the pool turned from the intended “American flag blue” to bright green due to algae blooms this week. The pool had been drained in April so that cleaning crews could scrub the bottom and then resurface it with an industrial-grade blue coating. President Donald Trump touted the project as it was being completed, even taking a short trip one night to watch the crews at work.
The Interior Department on Thursday touted that it cleared the algae from the pool.
“The advanced nanobubbler technology very effectively killed the algae that has plagued every Lincoln Reflecting Pool reopening — most infamously Obama’s reopening — since 1922,” the department posted on X.
The renovation was announced by Trump in April, when he directed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to resurface the pool’s basin in “American flag blue” after previously saying the monument was “absolutely filthy.” Trump renovations took roughly six weeks to complete, with the monument being fenced off and closed to the public. The renovations included sealing leaks and repainting the basin from grey to American flag blue.
Just a few days after the pool was refilled, viewers noticed a green hue visible from next to it and above. The Interior Department defended it, saying it was “residual algae from the supply lines” that hadn’t been used during the weekslong renovation. However, cleaning crews were later seen dumping hydrogen peroxide, which is typically used to keep outdoor water features clean but must be properly diluted, into the Reflecting Pool.
In a statement to the Washington Examiner, the Interior Department said it was using the chemical to treat the green water in addition to “nanobubble technology” to treat the algal blooms.
The department did not respond to a request for comment about the peeling seal.
See photos of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool:
-
Worker cleans algae from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington on June 18, 2026. (Graeme Jennings/Washington Examiner) -
Worker cleans algae from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington on June 18, 2026. (Graeme Jennings/Washington Examiner) -
Blue paint peeling from the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington on June 18, 2026. (Graeme Jennings/Washington Examiner) -
Blue paint peeling from the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington on June 18, 2026. (Graeme Jennings/Washington Examiner) -
Blue paint peeling from the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington on June 18, 2026. (Graeme Jennings/Washington Examiner) -
Worker cleans algae from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington on June 18, 2026. (Graeme Jennings/Washington Examiner) -
Worker cleans algae from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington on June 18, 2026. (Graeme Jennings/Washington Examiner) -
Worker cleans algae from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington on June 18, 2026. (Graeme Jennings/Washington Examiner) -
Workers scoop algae from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington on June 18, 2026. (Graeme Jennings/Washington Examiner) -
Workers scoop algae from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington on June 18, 2026. (Graeme Jennings/Washington Examiner) -
Blue paint peeling from the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington on June 18, 2026. (Graeme Jennings/Washington Examiner) -
National Park Service workers push algae towards an aeration area in the center of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool following the completion of recent renovations in Washington, DC, on June 14, 2026. The reflecting pool project, undertaken as part of President Donald Trump’s preparations for the nation’s 250th anniversary, began in April and was completed last week. (Photo by Ken CEDENO / AFP via Getty Images) -
Crews spray a new blue coating on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Friday, May 1, 2026, in Washington. The repairs are part of President Donald Trump’s “Safe and Beautiful” campaign to clean up parks and monuments in Washington. (Graeme Jennings/Washington Examiner)
