The nanobubblers had to go.<\/p>\n
It was early June, and the Trump administration was planning an event at the Lincoln Memorial on June 12 to promote President Trump\u2019s Ultimate Fighting Championship birthday celebration at the White House.<\/p>\n
Dotted around the perimeter of the memorial\u2019s Reflecting Pool were the nanobubblers, the temporary water-purification machines meant to keep the pool clear of algae. Encased in black fencing and powered by large generators, the machines were something of an eyesore.<\/p>\n
Before the event, the National Park Service asked Greenwater Services, which won a $1.7 million no-bid contract to install the nanobubblers, to remove them, according to two people briefed on the decision. The people asked for anonymity because they feared retaliation from the administration. The Park Service did not provide a reason for the removal, but it coincided exactly with the promotional event, which drew crowds to the Reflecting Pool.<\/p>\n
Photos from that evening showed the pool without the hoses or enormous machines working to keep the water clean. The water looked dark blue.<\/p>\n
But by the time the purification systems were reinstalled 36 hours later, enormous algae blooms were starting to spread unchecked, turning the water green<\/a>.<\/p>\n Once the algae started growing, it proved difficult to eliminate. Even with the nanobubblers back online, Park Service workers tried dumping jugs of hydrogen peroxide into the water to clear the algae more quickly. But the peroxide largely dissolved before it could reach the large clumps in the middle of the basin.<\/p>\n The result was a Reflecting Pool that stayed green and murky for about a week because of the residual chlorophyll \u2014 a highly visible symbol of one of Mr. Trump\u2019s pet projects gone very wrong.<\/p>\n The decision to remove the water-treatment systems, which has not previously been reported, was one of several missteps that have plagued Mr. Trump\u2019s $16.4 million renovation of the Reflecting Pool. There have been no-bid contracts, peeling strips of waterproof coating in Mr. Trump\u2019s handpicked shade of \u201cAmerican flag blue,\u201d and even a dead duck floating in the water (though it is not clear if the renovation had anything to do with the duck\u2019s demise).<\/p>\n In recent days, the water has become clear again, reflecting the sky and the surrounding monuments. The temporary nanobubblers have been replaced with more discreet, permanent purification systems.<\/p>\n Still, the Park Service plans to drain the pool again soon to fix the peeling coating.<\/p>\n Taylor Rogers, a White House spokeswoman, did not answer specific questions, but said in an email that \u201cthanks to President Trump, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is fixed, crystal clear and currently reflecting beautifully ahead of America\u2019s 250th birthday celebration.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Trump has blamed vandals for<\/a> the deteriorating conditions of the Reflecting Pool, saying they dumped fertilizer to feed the algae and slashed its blue coating with a \u201csharp knife or razors.\u201d The administration has asserted in court<\/a> that there were cuts made to the caulk and \u201csurface material\u201d of the pool.<\/p>\n Interviews with people involved in the project and a New York Times analysis \u2014 including a review of images taken by news photographers \u2014 suggest that actions taken by the Trump administration and the companies involved caused disruptions at every turn.<\/p>\n A Construction Spree<\/p>\n Mr. Trump has embarked on a construction spree in Washington unlike any undertaken by a modern president. He has rolled out jobs quickly, bypassing traditional contracting requirements and review panels. And costs have mounted<\/a> as Mr. Trump\u2019s vision for his most prized projects has doubled or tripled in size.<\/p>\n But it is the renovation of the Reflecting Pool that perhaps best serves as an emblem of how Mr. Trump operates. Instead of seeking competitive bids for the project, the administration awarded no-bid contracts<\/a>, hoping to expedite the process. Mr. Trump never submitted the project to a review board so that experts could weigh in.<\/p>\n A crucial decision came in early April, when the administration awarded a no-bid contract to a Virginia-based company called Atlantic Industrial Coatings to spread the waterproofing blue coating on the pool\u2019s concrete slabs. That coating, known as Rhino Pipeliner 5000, may be peeling off because it is not stretchy or flexible enough, said Anthony Flett, the chief executive of U.S. Coating Specialists, a Florida-based company that specializes in waterproofing substances.<\/p>\n \u201cThey used a hybrid polyurea, and they really should have picked a pure poly,\u201d Mr. Flett said, adding, \u201cThere\u2019s people in the pool industry whose whole life is polyurea, and they should have been called in.\u201d<\/p>\n Tim Auerhahn, the chair of the Aquatic Council LLC, a consulting firm for the pool and hot-tub industry, said in an email that Rhino Pipeliner 5000 is usually used to line the inside of pipes.<\/p>\n \u201cThe manufacturer\u2019s technical literature indicates it may be suitable for certain waterproofing and protective coating applications beyond pipe rehabilitation,\u201d he said, \u201cbut it does not specifically identify large ornamental water features, swimming pools or granite-lined basins like the Reflecting Pool as primary use cases.\u201d<\/p>\n Rhino Pipeliner 5000 is made by a California-based company called Rhino Linings. Pierre Gagnon, the company\u2019s chief executive, said in an email that the peeling \u201cis limited to isolated areas of the finish layer and does not affect the underlying waterproofing membrane.\u201d<\/p>\n Representatives for Atlantic Industrial Coatings did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n