Overview
- The administration drained the century‑old Reflecting Pool, resealed expansion joints and applied a dark industrial coating under expedited no‑bid contracts to meet semiquincentennial display goals.
- Costs ballooned well beyond early estimates with roughly $14.7 million spent on the sealing work and about $1.7 million contracted for a water‑treatment system that uses 'nanobubblers' to emit ozone.
- Days after refilling the basin the pool developed large algae blooms and crews reported peeling, bubbling and floating strips of the new coating, prompting repeated emergency fixes.
- National Park Service teams and contractors have deployed mechanical vacuuming, hydrogen peroxide and the nanobubbler ozone system as short‑term remediation while longer plumbing and pipe repairs remain uncompleted.
- The president has publicly blamed vandalism though evidence is limited to one arrest of a man who denies damage, and preservation groups and lawmakers are pursuing legal and oversight review of procurement and historic‑review lapses.