Reflecting Pool Renovation Set to Exceed $16 Million Budget
WHO:
ABC News - The National Park Service, Atlantic Industrial Coatings, Green Water Solutions, President Trump.
WHAT:
ABC News - The cost of the Reflecting Pool renovation has exceeded the original estimated cost of the no-bid contract by more than $4 million.
ABC News - The project is set to cost more than $16 million, with Atlantic Industrial Coatings receiving two payments totaling $1.54 million in the two weeks since the repainting was completed.
The Washington Post - A sheet of the pool’s surface, painted in “American Flag Blue,” was seen floating in the water on the north side of the pool.
ABC News - The cost to repaint the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has exceeded $14.65 million.
ABC News - The project is set to cost more than $16 million when including payments to both Atlantic Industrial Coatings and Green Water Solutions.
ABC News - The National Park Service paid $1.74 million to Green Water Solutions for a "nano bubble" system to kill algae.
ABC News - Trump stated, “As a developer, I've probably built more than 100 swimming pools in different buildings I built, and I have some really good pool builders.”
The Washington Post - Peeling paint was observed floating in the water of the Reflecting Pool after the renovation.
WHERE:
ABC News - Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Washington, D.C.
WHEN:
ABC News - The project was completed recently, with payments to Atlantic Industrial Coatings totaling $14.65 million since it began.
WHY:
ABC News - The advanced nanobubbler technology was implemented to effectively kill algae that has plagued the Lincoln Reflecting Pool since 1922.
ABC News - The renovation was undertaken to address issues of algae and peeling paint in the Reflecting Pool.
HOW:
CBS News Politics - The federal government awarded a company owned by a Trump donor $1.7 million to install a new water cleaning system for the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
ABC News - The renovation involved a no-bid contract for repainting and the installation of a filtration system using advanced nanobubbler technology.
(UPDATED June 19, 2026 23:19 UTC)
The renovation of the Lincoln Reflecting Pool has surpassed its original no-bid contract estimate by over $4 million, bringing the total cost to more than $16 million. Atlantic Industrial Coatings has received two payments totaling $1.54 million since completing the repainting, and a sheet of the pool’s surface, painted in “American Flag Blue,” was spotted floating in the water. To combat algae issues that have affected the pool since 1922, the federal government awarded a $1.7 million contract to install a new water cleaning system to a company owned by a Trump donor.
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(UPDATED June 19, 2026 17:44 UTC)
The National Park Service has reported that the cost to repaint the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has exceeded $14.65 million, and when factoring in payments to Atlantic Industrial Coatings and Green Water Solutions, the total is expected to surpass $16 million. Recently completed, the renovation aimed to tackle issues of algae and peeling paint, with a notable $1.74 million paid to Green Water Solutions for a "nano bubble" system designed to eliminate algae. President Trump commented on the project, stating, “As a developer, I've probably built more than 100 swimming pools in different buildings I built, and I have some really good pool builders.”