NEWSNewsroom

Questions Mount Over No-Bid Contract for Lincoln Memorial Pool Renovation

A federal contract for the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool’s water system has drawn scrutiny after revelations that the $1.7 million project was awarded without competitive bidding to a company owned by a donor to President Donald Trump, just as the site faces severe maintenance failures and massive algae blooms.

Bio & NewsJune 19, 2026538 reads0

The National Park Service defended the move by citing an urgent timeline for the country’s 250th birthday celebrations, yet the contractor, Greenwater Services, has minimal experience with federal projects. The firm is owned by the JJ Cafaro Investment Trust, tied to a neighbor of the president’s Mar-a-Lago club. The project’s integrity is now under fire as satellite analysis from The Washington Post confirms that algae levels in the pool spiked to a five-year high immediately following the renovation.

Beyond the biological infestation that forced workers to dump hydrogen peroxide into the water, structural issues have emerged. CNN reported that blue lining material installed during the project is already peeling from the pool floor. As the National Park Service works to manage the site, experts like Alana Menendez of the University of Virginia note that the current environmental state of the pool is unprecedented compared to June data reaching back to 2021.

Comments (0)

Leave a comment

No comments yet. Be the first!