I've seen reports that algae has returned to the Reflecting Pool.

#3 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-06-13 07:39 PM | Reply

I saw the pictures. It looks exactly like normal supply side residue when you do extended maintenance. They resurfaced the pool, the didn't do anything about the 12" lines that actually feed this thing and are the source of the leaks. It's going to continue to be a maintenance nightmare.

Tell me you've never owned a pool without saying it.

Nothing but a drowning hazard for neighborhood children...

#8 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-06-14 07:08 PM | Reply | Flag:

Swim/water polo parent. We take the youngest children that are on the verge of drowning, then we make them race 25 meters.

I'm accustomed to seeing people in there with rakes cleaning it up. Did DOGE fire those guys?

#8 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-06-14 07:08 PM | Reply | Flag:

You're going to see them again. It's 90F in DC and a pool that afaik isn't chlorinated. It'd take 550 gallons of liquid chlorine to shock it.

The stuff from the pictures though, looking like green peeled paint, that's what comes up after a major scrubbing and/or pipes and filters not getting flushed out properly, especially in large diameter pipe systems, which they deferred the maintenance on to go painting instead. It still needs a complete rebuild on the plumbing system.

Also, yes, that green algae peel, unless nuked with chlorine, will go right back to causing algae blooms. A new coating just makes algae spots that form under debris easier to clean. That's never going away.

You're not actually suggesting Trump performed scheduled, routine maintenance to our Reflecting Pool, are you?

#13 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-06-15 08:53 AM | Reply | Flag:

Absolutely not. It's "deferred". They did a thing that makes 1 part of maintenance slightly easier. They left all the stuff that's the real problem in place.

I'm also seeing meme content linking the algae to the warmer water and the new paint.

#14 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-06-15 09:02 AM | Reply | Flag:

I see the same stupid ----. Algae blooms start at 55F. Above 85F it goes nuts. It's 94F in DC. Adding +1F isn't a meaningful contribution.

It's a 18"-30" pool, that runs at a chlorination level far below what pools need to be clear. It's an algae farm in the summer and the only thing you can do about it is massively chlorinate it, but it's connected to the Tidal Basin, so that would be bad.