Trump Admin Blames Vandals for Reflecting Pool Problems

Scientists, however, have said that the pool’s conditions, especially during the summer, make it only natural for algae to bloom. That’s especially true after renovations, which could have affected the balance of nutrients in the pool, Rosalina Stancheva Christova, a professor of aquatic ecology at Virginia’s George Mason University, told NPR. The darker interior in the pool also absorbs more sunlight, making the water warmer and more likely to lead to algae growth, she added.

The algae found in the pool, belonging to the genus Desmodesmus, is not toxic or harmful, she said.

The Trump Administration previously told CNN the algal bloom was an expected “part of the normal start-up process” because residual algae had been lying dormant in the pool’s supply lines while the pool underwent construction.

Algae has been a recurrent problem for the reflecting pool since it opened, and previous fixes have been short-lived. The Barack Obama Administration oversaw a major $34 million renovation of the reflecting pool between 2010 and 2012 in an effort to stop the pool from leaking and install a filtration system to neutralize the algae. The pool was also made shallower to save water and the bottom was tinted gray to make it appear more reflective. But algae eventually resurfaced and some leaking continued, according to the Associated Press.