Overview
- The pool was fast‑tracked for a July Fourth display after a multimillion‑dollar, no‑bid renovation finished in early June and the basin was refilled days later.
- Within days of refill crews saw aggressive algae blooms and floating strips of a newly applied dark blue coating, prompting hydrogen peroxide treatments, nanobubble ozone use and manual vacuuming.
- The National Park Service said in a court filing that a cut with a sharp knife or razor was reported to U.S. Park Police on June 9 and damaged foam sealant at expansion joints.
- The Interior Department says arrests, federal citations and dozens of police reports have followed, security fencing and National Guard patrols are in place, and the NPS will drain the pool after July 4 for warranty and more extensive repairs.
- Experts and internal records warn the renovation did not fix century‑old buried circulation pipes and that the darker liner raises water temperature, which together with nutrient‑rich tap water makes repeat algae blooms likely and draws sustained legal and congressional scrutiny over procurement and preservation choices.