Trump’s D.C. Projects Top $1 Billion as East Wing Ballroom Nears $800 Million

Q: Why did a $16.4 million 'patriotic blue' makeover of the Lincoln Reflecting Pool create an ecological problem?

The makeover created an ecological problem because the new dark “patriotic blue” coating changed the pool’s physical conditions in ways that favored algae. Experts say the darker blue surface absorbed more sunlight than the previous finish, warming the shallow water. Warmer, sunlit, slow-moving water is ideal for algae growth, and the Reflecting Pool already has those vulnerabilities because it is broad, shallow, exposed, and relatively stagnant. The renovation itself also appears to have contributed. Reports say the recoating and restart of the pool disturbed nutrients and residual material in the system, which can trigger what specialists sometimes call “new pond syndrome” — a burst of algae growth after a water feature is newly finished or refilled. The administration has said residual material in supply lines played a role. Those factors quickly produced a visible algal bloom, turning the pool bright green. The project also reportedly faced peeling polyurethane, suggesting the new coating created maintenance problems as well as ecological ones. In short, the blue makeover did not just change the pool’s appearance. By increasing heat absorption and disrupting the pool’s water chemistry and biological balance, it helped create conditions for an algae outbreak.

3 articles · Updated · The Daily Beast · Jul 2

$1 billion in planned spending is now in view for Donald Trump’s Washington makeover, with the proposed East Wing ballroom and related security costs making up nearly $800 million.
About $400 million of the ballroom cost is expected from donors including Howard Lutnick’s family, Stephen Schwarzman and major companies, while taxpayers would still cover security running into the hundreds of millions.
The broader plan includes a 250-foot Triumphal Arch, a 250-statue National Garden of American Heroes, a white repaint for the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and a golf-course upgrade.
$14.7 million has already been spent recoating the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool “American flag blue,” but the no-bid project has instead produced a vivid green algal bloom.
Public resistance remains strong: an April Washington Post poll found 56% opposed the ballroom and 52% opposed the arch, even as Trump has been promoting his building plans almost daily.