00:02President Trump wanted the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool looking its best in time for America's 250th birthday celebration.
00:10The problem? Just days after a multi-million dollar makeover, the water has turned green.
00:16Workers were back in the water this week trying to get a handle on an algae bloom that appeared less
00:22than two weeks after the reflecting pool reopened.
00:24The Trump administration spent more than $14 million on the project, fixing leaks, installing a new filtration system, even painting
00:32the bottom what the president called American flag blue.
00:36We made the surface as good as it can be, and we're now covering it with the most beautiful blue,
00:44very thick.
00:44You think of it as a very sophisticated form of rubber, no leaks, no problems, and it's beautiful.
00:52It's called American flag blue. That was the color we chose.
00:55But now, instead of crystal clear reflections, visitors are seeing patches of green algae spreading across the water.
01:03To fight it, crews have been vacuuming the pool, running a high-tech filtration system, and adding hydrogen peroxide to
01:10the water.
01:11I'm glad they're trying, but honestly, I don't think you can fight Mother Nature.
01:17And the nature of this pool, anytime you have an environment that big, that's like cleaning a lake or something
01:23else.
01:24As long as it doesn't stink, I'm okay.
01:27And as long as I can enjoy it and get close, I'm fine with it and happy about it.
01:34Experts say the shallow, warm water creates ideal conditions for algae, and warn this may be more of an ongoing
01:40maintenance challenge than a one-time fix.
01:43Some visitors are not impressed.
01:45Absolutely. It was a 100% waste of funds.
01:50I do, however, see that the National Park Service is getting some work today clearing out the algae.
01:56To be fair, algae has plagued the reflecting pool for decades, including after a $34 million renovation during the Obama
02:04administration.
02:05The question now is whether this latest high-tech fix can succeed where others have struggled.
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