Story perspectives

Reflecting Pool Renovation Jumps to $16.4M, No-Bid Contracts, Peroxide Treatment

6/29/2026

Summary

Story summary

Renovation of the Reflecting Pool, originally budgeted at $1.5-$2 million, now costs $16.4 million after no-bid contracts to Atlantic Industrial Coatings and Greenwater Services.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said officials uncovered unreported threatening messages, though public records list only former Olympic canoer David Hearn as detained.
National Park Service workers dumped hydrogen peroxide into the pool to fight an algae bloom while the site stayed fenced and guarded by the National Guard.

History

Historical Context

Following the 2010-2012 $30.74 million reconstruction that replaced the asphalt bottom with concrete and added a circulating Tidal Basin system, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has faced recurring algae blooms in 2012 and a schistosome outbreak in 2017. The present $16.4 million overhaul, led by the National Park Service, continues this cycle of costly upgrades.

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Story summary

Renovation of the Reflecting Pool, originally budgeted at $1.5-$2 million, now costs $16.4 million after no-bid contracts to Atlantic Industrial Coatings and Greenwater Services.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said officials uncovered unreported threatening messages, though public records list only former Olympic canoer David Hearn as detained.
National Park Service workers dumped hydrogen peroxide into the pool to fight an algae bloom while the site stayed fenced and guarded by the National Guard.

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