Crews from the National Park Service are dumping gallons of hydrogen peroxide into the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to combat algae that has grown in the pool after its multimillion-dollar makeover.
The reflecting pool has historically dealt with algae growth issues because of the hot and muggy Washington, D.C., climate in the summer, the pool’s shallow, relatively stagnant build, and its direct exposure to sunlight. The pool turned a bright green hue this week due to algal buildup, marking a sharp contrast from the “American Flag Blue” that President Donald Trump had the bottom of the pool coated with.
The Interior Department told the Washington Examiner that the agency is using a combination of new nanobubble technology, a common technology used to clear algal blooms, and the hydrogen peroxide to clean the green water in the pool after the completed renovations.
“Unlike under Obama and Biden, the National Park Service is actually maintaining the beautifully completed Reflecting Pool,” the Interior Department spokesperson said in the statement. “To keep the water in the Reflecting Pool not only crystal clear but also clean, we are deploying high-tech nanobubble ozone technology.”
Nanobubbles essentially react with water in the pool to form oxidizing agents, which bind to and break down the algae in the pool to create “clean, oxygenated water,” the Department spokesperson explained.
“Additionally, hydrogen peroxide, which is a milder treatment than chlorine and is used in spas and specialty pools like natural swimming pools, is also treating the pool. There are no harmful side effects to marine life or to the environment,” the spokesperson continued.
Hydrogen peroxide is often used to kill algae in outdoor pools and bodies of water, creating oxygen radicals that can break down algae cells and cause the organisms to die off.
TRUMP OFFICIALS BRUSH OFF ALGAE REAPPEARING IN REFLECTING POOL AFTER WEEKSLONG RENOVATION
The substance is not environmentally persistent, nor is it thought to pose an immediate or delayed harmful effect on the health of animals or humans at the right concentration levels, which can vary based on the water facility, according to a report from the United Kingdom’s University of Hertfordshire.
The Interior Department did not respond to the Washington Examiner‘s request for comment on how much hydrogen peroxide is being used in the pool before publication. The Environmental Protection Agency referred the outlet to the Interior Department.
