Burgum on algae in Reflecting Pool: ‘All gone’

Administration Burgum on algae in Reflecting Pool: ‘All gone’ Comments: by Ashleigh Fields - 07/05/26 10:55 AM ET Comments: Link copied by Ashleigh Fields - 07/05/26 10:55 AM ET Comments: Link copied

NOW PLAYING

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Sunday said the algae in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is “all gone” after a $14.6 million renovation to the landmark was overrun with muddy green water.

“The algae is all gone. I mean, that was a momentary thing as the [Reflecting Pool] was being refilled, there was algae in the pipes, but the new technology, the nanobubblers that have been installed, if you go down there today and look at it, it is completely clean and clear,” Burgum said during a Sunday appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“And so, for the first time, there’s an actual solution that involves making sure that we’ve got an algae-free pond,” he added.

Trump administration officials have repeatedly defended the multimillion-dollar project to renovate the Reflecting Pool and the decision to paint the bottom “American flag” blue after onlookers reported algae blooms tainted the clear water.

“We restored 48 monuments, 22 fountains, eliminated 1000 graffiti sites. The capital look better than ever, and I’m not — I can’t understand why people want to keep talking about the beautiful reflecting pool,” Burgum told host Dana Bash.

President Trump and others have accused people of pouring chemicals into the water and cutting an industrial liner that was designed to waterproof the bottom of the basin in addition to preventing leaks.

Several people, including former Olympian David Hearn, were arrested in connection to the alleged vandalism.

Hearn said he merely touched the water before being taken into custody for destruction of government property, a crime he says he did not commit.

“You can be a former governor, you can be a former this, you can be a former that, but just because you were a former something doesn’t exclude you from the law today,” Burgum said of Hearn, who was indicted on Thursday.

“He can say what he wants to say, I wasn’t there, I was not an eyewitness. I mean, the courts will decide, but I think the law stands. That is a law that exists, and it should be again — if people are damaging federal government property, if people are defaming our monuments, they should face the consequences of that. So the courts will decide,” he added.

Add as preferred source on Google Tags CNN "SOTU Dana Bash Donald Trump Doug Burgum Interior Secretary Doug Burgum President Trump Trump administration

Comments: Link copied