Donald Trump’s $14 million Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovation couldn’t stop algae from blooming in the D.C. heat and turning the water a murky shade of green once again.

The unsightly hue plagued the pool just in time for an estimated 125,000 people to descend on Washington for Trump’s “Freedom 250” UFC fights on the White House lawn for his birthday on Sunday — despite work crews spreading chlorine pellets to try to deter algae growth.

The Washington Post reported that the bloom “expanded between Wednesday and Thursday amid wet and warm weather.”

  • Brkdncr@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    83
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    2 days ago

    Pretty typical of a new pool to bloom algae when filled. You have to dump a bunch of chlorine or bromine in to prevent it. A competent company that does large pool/ponds would have a plan to deal with it.

  • PodPerson@lemmy.zip
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    4
    ·
    2 days ago

    Wow - you mean painting it blue doesn’t prevent algae growth? Did no one ask literally anyone who owns a pool what happens to their pools that have blue-colored linings when they don’t use chlorine or some other filtering/chemical/salt solution?

  • Eternal192@anarchist.nexus
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    12
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    2 days ago

    Another loss for ol skinbag, or should i say another involuntary investment loss by the taxpayers.

    He’s like the Titanic, dragging a whole country down, Donaldo di Crapio.

  • MrJameGumb@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    2 days ago

    I’m sure a ton of people will show up to sit in 90°F heat and heavy rain. They won’t even notice the pool!

  • daannii@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    2 days ago

    Here in the IL state capitol we have fountains that are painted black in the bottom.

    I was told it keeps the birds out.

    Bird poo gonna nasty up fountain water.

    I dunno if it helps algea. But it definitely does keep most birds out.

    Black makes more sense and looks nice. It makes the water look aesthetic.

  • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    2
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    2 days ago

    Didn’t they just do a paint job? Was anything done to try to put in or update water circulation and filtration? I guess I’d expect nothing less than what we had before if all they did was to drain the water and repaint it and re-fill it…

    Also, 125,000 people? Who are the idiots going to the event DonOLD threw for himself, I wonder?

    • IHeartBadCode@fedia.io
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      25
      ·
      2 days ago

      Yeah, the entire underlying problem are the pipes that lead to the pool as many have tried to tell him. The pipes leading to and from the treatment machine need to be fully replaced. When the pool was renovated in 2012, the pipes installed were for the wrong application. The land the pool sits on is formerly wetlands. So special attention is required for putting in pipes in that area. This wasn’t done and so the soil is literally crushing the pipes allowing water treatment to leak into the surrounding soil.

      This is why they’ve had to have people physically go out there and manually treat the pool. The problem is that the treatment is never making to the pool in a large enough volume to make a difference. But the manual treatment requires people in large “unsightly” protective gear to wade through the pool and treat the water. Then they have to rope off the section that was treated to ensure no one tried to enter the pool until the treatment has diluted enough.

      Trump keeps doing the thing Trump is known for, cutting corners that ultimately mean more money is spent long term. The problem is the pipes. They need to be replaced. But then the pool has to be closed for large construction and the short term cost goes up. So Trump keeps just putting a band-aid on it over and over and over again like the idiot he is.

      He’s been told what the issue is and what the fix is. He just wants a short-term “fix” so he looks good. He’s not actually interested in fixing the pool. The pipes have to be ripped out and new ones installed. That is the only true fix.

        • IHeartBadCode@fedia.io
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          6 hours ago

          Oh no. Man I had no idea what you were trying to say on first read. No. It’s just this shit happens all the time in Tennessee. Our State Government gets told what the fundamental issue is, they create some cheap stop-gap solution, it fails two or three years down the road.

          Like if you ever drive on Interstate 24 in Tennessee this kind of thing is in your face like all the time. Also the State prison healthcare going on here is just chef kiss perfect example of failing to understand root cause.

          “Prisoners keep dying in prison because of sickness, I know! Let’s just privatize it.” Prisoners keep dying. “I don’t know where we went wrong?!” It’s hard to feel like justice is served if everything that lands someone in prison exposes them to a incredibly high rate of death by disease.

        • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          7
          ·
          2 days ago

          I doubt they do. Want to know why? Because nobody fucking bid on it.

          It is personal to me because it was a no-bid contract for under $2 million that increased by over 700% to $14 million of money directly from taxpayers. This is my money.

          Want to try to defend that, or…?

          Are you familiar with large capital projects and how much a project funded by public money is allowed to increase by legally? Because I am.

          It’s 20% the original contract amount in most places. Not 700%.

          • Mcdolan@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            2 days ago

            I’m just trying to understand how you know pipes are the problem? I ain’t defending shit, but your speaking with authority and in depth knowledge. Is it bull shit? If you think I’m defending anything here that’s just projection on your part.

          • Mcdolan@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            2 days ago

            Lol? Question someone speaking as if they have inside knowledge makes you conservative?

            I really hope you’re just a bot.Q