Why Washington’s display pond has gone from ‘US blue’ to algae green | Donald Trump News

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC has turned green with algae just weeks after a major multi-million dollar renovation to shine the “American flag” color.

On Friday, the US President, Donald Trump, said on his Social Truth platform that the site was destroyed, implying that the damage was done by “left-wing lunatics”, but the algae that was seen was being cleaned.

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“We’ve had a real problem with the Vandals at the Beautiful View Pool,” Trump said.

“The algae is 75% gone, and the problem will soon be completely resolved, and the damaged area, fortunately, is a small area that has been damaged, and it will be repaired at the beginning of next week.”

Trump, however, did not provide any evidence to support his claims of vandalism, which he said included someone spraying pesticides.

Here’s what we know:

What happened to the pool?

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which was built in 1922, is located near the Lincoln Memorial where Martin Luther King Jr delivered his “I have a Dream” speech in the United States capital in 1963.

The bottom of the pool was also painted in the color that Trump called “American flag blue”, and on June 6, he announced the renovation project, which cost $14.7m, was completed.

But last week, the blue material at the bottom of the pool began to dissolve – parts of it were seen floating on the surface – and the water turned green with algae.

Since June 16, US National Park Service workers have been pouring hydrogen peroxide into the pond to combat the algae bloom.

An Interior Department spokesman told Reuters that the pool is treated with “advanced nanobubble ozone technology” that kills algae, pathogens including E. coli, and other pollutants. The department added that the hydrogen peroxide being reused “is a less chemical than the chlorine” used in swimming pools.

Why is Trump lying?

The water in the bright pool has turned green, on Friday, Mr. Trump said that the place was damaged and he wrote on his Truth Social platform: “Like three days ago, they destroyed the grass outside the Pool, they will do everything possible to hurt the inside where it was just installed.

On Saturday, he said the National Park Police “arrested several people for destroying our international research”, correcting his spelling to “Pool” afterwards.

He continued: “Who would do this?”

One person arrested was David Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, who owns a company that makes composites used in the construction of ships. He told the Associated Press that he stopped by the pond during his 103km (64-mile) bike ride on Friday to see what was going on.

Hearn, a former Olympic rower, said he got into the pool because he wanted to see a new tear. He also said that he touched a small piece that was attached to the side of the pool, then stopped as soon as he told him to do it.

But, Hearn said, he was detained by National Guard and Park Police for five hours before being released Friday night.

“I’m a curious citizen,” Hearn told the AP. “I looked down to see what it was like. It was very loud.”

Trump, however, said on Friday, that the incident was not different from the chemical that was used on the National Mall, he used something similar to the Reflecting Pool to try to destroy and insult our beautiful work”.

The President of the United States talks about the attendance of many people after being laid in the green grass on the National Mall last week: “86 47“. Officials said that these numbers would be dangerous for Trump, the 47th president. The number 86 can be said to be “removal”.

The investigation into the matter is ongoing.

But experts have told US media that algae blooms in the water this time of year.

Rosalina Stancheva Christova, a professor of marine biology at George Mason University in Virginia who took water samples from the pond for testing last Tuesday, he said US broadcaster NPR reported on June 19 that the algae are “growing more and more” but are not dangerous.

He said that this type of green algae can be found throughout the region at this time of the year and added that the demonstration pond offers “ideal conditions” such as sunlight and shallow and still water, which encourage its growth.

He added that “disruption of the pond during rehabilitation (is) accelerating the process (of algae growth)”.

How much did this project cost?

The $14.7m contract to clean and paint the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was awarded by the government as a non-solicited contract to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, in New Canton, Virginia, on April 3, according to the New York Times. Critics say it should go through the marketing process to ensure the best price.

Then, on June 16, the New York Times reported that a business called Greenwater Services of Brookfield, Ohio, linked to a long-time supporter of President Trump, was awarded an unrelated contract to install a water purification system in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool at the beginning of spring. The company has now come under scrutiny for algae in the pool.

The report added that the company is owned by the JJ Cafaro Investment Trust, headed by John J Cafaro, a Trump donor who lives in Palm Beach, Florida near Mar-a-Lago, the president’s club.

It’s not clear why the contracts were awarded to the companies without a financing plan, but a White House spokesman told the New York Times last week that the president was not involved in the selection of Greenwater Services.

Cafaro told Ohio newspaper The Vindicator that the contract for the show work was awarded without bidding because “no one else in the world does what we do”.

He added: “I’m not legally part of the company (Greenwater Services). They all work for me, but it has a CEO and a COO. I have different organizations that I can’t track. That’s what lawyers and accountants do.

What other useless jobs did Trump order, and who is paying for them?

Since the start of his second term as president, Trump has announced major renovation projects for Washington DC monuments and the White House.

White House ballroom

Renovating the White House Ballroom is one such project. Last year, the president said he and wealthy donors would pay $400m, but asked Congress to provide $1bn in taxpayer money to improve security. Senate Republicans, with an eye on the November election in the middle of this year, said no.

The to build The project, which started last year, was supported by donors, foundations and technology companies, including Google and Amazon.

Last October, Trump wrote on Social Truth: “For more than 150 years, every President has dreamed of having a Ballroom in the White House to host large parties, State Visits, etc. I am honored to be the first President to finally get this necessary project – at zero cost to the American Taxpayer!”

Trump also said, following his renovation, the building will have four-inch windows and a drone defense system on the roof “to protect all of Washington”. It will also expand six stories underground and include a military arena.

The construction of the football stadium, which will seat 1,000 guests, has faced a major public challenge. Defenders and critics say Trump overstepped his authority when he demolished the historic East Wing, which housed the first lady’s offices and the White House movie theater, to make way for the new suite.

‘Arc de Trump’

Trump also wants to build an “Independence Arch” across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial and says he wants it to be bigger than the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

According to the spending plan released by the National Endowment for the Humanities in April, US taxpayers will fund the construction.

The height of the monument, with eagle statues and a replica of Lady Liberty at the top, is estimated to be 76 meters (250 feet) – marking 250 years of American freedom. This is taller than the Lincoln Memorial and not far from the size of the US Capitol, which at 88m (288 feet) can be seen over the greater Washington area.

In contrast, the Arc de Triomphe in Paris is 50m (164 feet) tall.

Trump wrote in a tweet on June 4, “When he’s done, he will be, without a doubt, the greatest Arch of them all!”