The Trump administration is paying $2.7 million to repair the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool again, 10 weeks after its $16 million renovation was completed.
The contract was awarded last week to American Ag Energy Inc., a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company that specializes in greenhouses, according to government spending data.
In July, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the Trump administration would stick with the original contractor rather than taking new bids to repair the Reflecting Pool.
The $16 million no-bid renovation contract went to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a Virginia-based firm, to waterproof and repaint the pool’s concrete floor.
President Trump initially said that cleaning and resurfacing the pool would cost roughly $1.5 million to $1.8 million and take only a week, intending to spruce up the National Mall ahead of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
By June, the total cost for the overhaul surpassed $16 million, including the contract awarded to Atlantic Industrial Coatings and a contract to Ohio-based Green Water Solutions for water-purification equipment.
The pool’s concrete basin was coated in a dark shade dubbed “American flag blue,” but shortly after completion, large sheets and chunks of the sealant began peeling away and floating to the surface.
The pool then saw a return of green algae, with experts noting that the accelerated construction timeline and the darker pool bottom, which absorbed more heat and raised water temperatures, created prime conditions for algae growth.
National Park Service crews deployed treatments, including hydrogen peroxide and nanobubbler technology, to stop the algae bloom.
Richard Rosen, CEO of American Ag Energy, told NBC News that his company is known for its environmental work, making it the best option to address and mitigate the algae problem.
“Our goal is to have nothing growing in the water,” Mr. Rosen said.
He said his team, some of whom are working in the District, includes experts and engineers with decades of experience managing water quality in facilities. They will conduct a biological and chemical profile of the pool before implementing changes to prevent more algae blooms.
Mr. Rosen said his company was one of five lobbying for the $2.7 million repair contract.
Administrative officials, including the president, had said peeling sealant and damage were the result of vandalism rather than faulty work.
In August, Mr. Trump acknowledged “some contractor error” while still decrying vandalism. The Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia told a federal judge that the pool’s damage was due to a construction defect that the Department of the Interior had known about.
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