Overview
- Work to reseal expansion joints and apply an ‘American flag blue’ waterproof coating was carried out under an expedited no‑bid contract and much of the basin was coated in late May.
- The Interior Department awarded the project to Atlantic Industrial Coatings and the contract value rose from an initial estimate of about $1.8 million to roughly $13.1 million.
- Park Service documents and experts say the real cause of recurring algae is failing 12‑inch underground pipes that move the pool’s four million gallons to and from a treatment plant and those pipes were not replaced in this project.
- Tests of joint repairs reportedly failed in mid‑May while Interior Secretary Doug Burgum later said final materials passed testing and announced the coating was complete; preservationists have sued under the National Historic Preservation Act and a judge allowed work to continue while the case proceeds.
- If the piping is not replaced this fall as officials have said, experts warn the pool can be cut off from filtration for weeks when pipes leak, which would let algae bloom and could quickly cover the new blue finish and erase its intended visual effect.