Reflecting Pool saga continues with another contractor hired to clean the algae
Reflecting Pool Algae Cleanup Draws Yet Another Contractor
Earthguardiansonline.com – The Reflecting Pool saga continues into a new chapter as the Department of Interior awarded a $2.7 million contract to American Ag Energy, a Massachusetts-based renewable-energy firm, to repair and maintain the Lincoln Memorial pool’s sewage and water-purification systems. The pool, a Washington, D.C. landmark since the early 1920s, was slated for a celebratory restoration tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary. Instead, the project has spiraled through months of failed fixes, escalating budgets, and politically tangled contractor relationships. The latest award arrived last week, and the Interior Department did not respond to follow-up questions about how this engagement intersects with work already completed on site.
The one-year agreement carries options that would extend it through five additional years, potentially pushing total spending to $8.8 million. American Ag Energy has no prior track record in municipal water treatment or landmark restoration — a gap that has drawn scrutiny given the pool’s symbolic weight and the public’s thoroughly exhausted patience.
A Renewable-Energy Firm Steps Into Water Cleanup
Richard Rosen, chief executive of American Ag Energy, described how the company stumbled into the role. A director within the firm flagged the algae issue to him, and he subsequently encountered a news account of the problem.
“I realized that I actually knew how to solve this problem,” Rosen said. “They want me to solve it the right way, okay, and they’re doing a very good job, trying to do the right thing and I will be very helpful to them.”
The “they” in that remark points to the National Park Service, which manages the memorial grounds. Rosen’s firm specializes in renewable-energy technology, not aquatic remediation, making the appointment an unusual pairing for a site of this magnitude.
A Conviction Clouds the New Contractor
The contract award arrives with an inconvenient biographical footnote. In 2016, Rosen cast ballots in two states — Massachusetts and New Hampshire — in the same presidential election. He was convicted of voter fraud, sentenced to seven days in jail, and stripped of his New Hampshire voting rights. Earlier this year, the New Hampshire Supreme Court vacated the conviction, ruling that a superior-court judge had made incorrect evidentiary rulings during trial. The case was remanded to Grafton County Superior Court, where charges can be refiled. Rosen said he is currently in mediation with the state attorney general’s office over the matter.
For a project already mired in questions about oversight and accountability, the revelation that the newest contractor carries a recently overturned criminal record adds another layer of public unease.
Costs That Keep Climbing
Money has been the renovation’s most persistent storyline. The president first floated an estimate of roughly $2 million to $3 million for the work. That figure was later revised upward to “less than $20 million.” By the height of this summer, with the newest contract folded into the ledger, total spending had already crossed the $14 million mark — more than four times the original low-end projection.
The restoration was announced under an executive order directing that the nation’s capital be made “safe and beautiful.” In practice, the project has been beset by complications from its earliest stages.
From Blue Liner to Green Water: A Timeline of Failures
In May, the president drove his motorcade across the drained basin to inspect the site. Workers had installed a liner dyed what officials described as “American flag blue” across the pool floor, replacing decades of gray concrete. When water was reintroduced, algae rapidly turned the surface an opaque green.
The administration’s first remedial response was to engage Greenwater Services, an Ohio-based water-treatment firm whose co-owner, J.J. Cafaro, is a longtime political supporter and donor to the president. Under a $1.7 million contract, Greenwater deployed ozone nanobubbler technology to scrub the water. The algae persisted. Compounding the problem, the blue liner at the pool’s base began peeling shortly afterward — a failure the president attributed to vandals.
Cafaro’s own history has drawn attention: in 2001 he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bribe Rep. James Traficant Jr., an Ohio Democrat. Greenwater executives maintain that Cafaro plays no role in the company’s daily operations.
This summer the saga intensified when several individuals were arrested and charged with damaging the pool. For most defendants, the offense carried a maximum penalty of a $1,000 fine and 180 days behind bars.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who currently manages the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool?
The National Park Service oversees the memorial grounds, including the pool. Contracted firms handle specific maintenance and remediation tasks under Interior Department oversight.
How much has the algae-remediation effort cost so far?
Total spending crossed $14 million by late summer, up from an initial presidential estimate of $2 million to $3 million. The newest contract alone is worth $2.7 million with options that could raise total outlays to $8.8 million over six years.
Why was a renewable-energy company chosen for water cleanup?
American Ag Energy, based in Massachusetts, specializes in renewable-energy technology. Its CEO, Richard Rosen, said a director within the firm identified the algae problem and he believed the company could address it. The firm has no prior municipal water-treatment record.
What happened to the blue liner installed in May?
The “American flag blue” liner began peeling shortly after water was reintroduced. The president attributed the damage to vandals, though no contractor or engineering explanation has been publicly confirmed.
