The chaos behind the scenes of President Donald Trump’s latest $15 million vanity project has been exposed.
Earlier this year, the president, 80, announced his intention to Trumpify the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., as part of a wider effort to “beautify” the capital.
He boasted of using “American Flag Blue” as the new color base for the iconic landmark. The blue waterproof coating soon peeled off, and Trump’s headaches continued as green algae began to bloom in the water.
Greenwater Services, the Ohio-based company commissioned to keep the water clean, was told that work had to be completed in time for the July Fourth celebrations marking America’s 250th birthday.
It uses relatively new tech called an ozone nanobubbler, a unit that essentially bursts through the algae with high-pressure bubbles.
However, the main unit was not ready when Trump came calling. Or when National Park Service workers began to refill the pool with water.
Two days later, Greenwater Services rushed to install temporary equipment because its main machine was still being fabricated. Four mobile machines were brought in and installed at the pool on June 6.
A spokesperson told CNN that the plan was going well. But, less than a week later, the National Park Service demanded that the machines be removed. CNN reported that no reason was forthcoming. The algae returned.
A day later, the temporary machines were reinstalled. In the interim, the Trump administration used the site for a high-profile photo op.
The ceremonial weigh-ins for the president’s Ultimate Fighting Championship fights took place on the National Mall, with the memorial and other monuments providing a photo-ready backdrop. The fights took place on the White House South Lawn.
Days later, on June 16, the permanent units arrived, and workers began to install them. The temporary units continued to operate until June 25, when the permanent machines, housed in a pump house in the U.S. Park Police stables near the Reflecting Pool, fully took over.
The tech, however, relies on old pipes that have been in place for decades. It is therefore conceivable that the filtration system could buckle if the piping fails.
There are also doubts about whether it will work on this type of body of water. Greenwater Services has never used its technology on a pool, CNN reported.
“Whether or not it is going to be able to be effective in as large a body of water and as shallow a body of water such as the Reflecting Pool remains to be seen,” Joe Trusty, the editor of Pool Magazine, said.
Heather Raymond, the water quality director for the Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, is an expert on the subject. She has even tested and researched Greenwater Services’ technology.
She said the nanobubbler tech, which has been around for only about five years, would work best if installed during the cooler months, rather than in summer.
“If you had all the time in the world, you should launch this fall or winter,” she said.
However, Trump’s demands to have the pool clear by July might have forced Greenwater’s hand.
A spokesperson said the company is ready for more twists and turns, declaring that it could even add more units to the pumphouse. The temporary units could also return if needed, Chas Antinone, president and chief operating officer, said.
“We think right now, we treated it—it looks good,” he told CNN on Friday. “But you know, it’s going to be 100 degrees next week.”
