The objective was to repair the pool, improve its structure, and make the water look clean and visually striking, with a blue tone described as "American Flag Blue," but the pool turned bright green again.

Workers completed a Trump administration directive to paint the floor of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool "American flag blue" in early June 2026.

The National Park Service continued a push Tuesday to eradicate algae from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool as tourists and locals gathered to view the green-tinged water. The Department of Interior has deployed both a hydrogen peroxide treatment and nanobubble ozone technology,

The site has been a backdrop for and active part of major political events, as well as everyday life for the country's capital.

By Ryan Patrick Jones June 16 (Reuters) - Work crews poured hydrogen peroxide into the newly repainted Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Tuesday to combat an algae bloom, a little over a week after it was repainted as part of President Donald Trump's campaign to revamp some of Washington's major monuments.