Some of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool liner appears to be falling apart
The "American flag blue" coating appears to be peeling away in some sections.
Cleaning up the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has been one of President Donald Trump's pet projects. In April, he said he would clean up the massive pool within a week and for about $1 million.
About three months -- and more than $15 million later -- the project looks to be in trouble.
Just Wednesday night, Trump's Department of Interior declared in a social media statement that "advanced nanobubbler technology" had "very effectively killed the algae" that has plagued the Reflecting Pool for years. "The Reflecting Pool water is crystal clear," the statement declared, but then continued, "our National Park Service team is now vacuuming up the dead algae resting on the bottom of some parts of the Reflecting Pool -- just like the destroyed Iranian Navy resting on the bottom of the Persian Gulf."
When ABC News visited the Reflecting Pool Thursday afternoon, we found it filled with gunk and green algae-infused water. And a new problem has emerged; the "American flag blue" paint job appears to be falling apart -- some of it peeling away from the bottom of the pool.
ABC News has asked the Interior Department for comment about the peeling paint and reached out to the contractor that did the work, but they did not immediately comment.
Algae bloomed late last week just days after the completion of the renovation, turning the pool from deep blue to green and murky. A DOI spokesperson told CNN in a statement that the algae was "residual" and came from reactivated supply lines.
DOI deployed both a hydrogen peroxide treatment and the nanobubble ozone technology, a spokesperson said, to rid the pool of algae blooms that have discolored the landmark and marred the rollout of the renovation project.
The nanobubble process releases tiny gas bubbles filled with ozone into the water, which helps to eliminate algae blooms.
The DOI spokesperson wrote that the hydrogen peroxide would have "no harmful side effects to marine life or to the environment."
Contracts to resurface the reflecting pool and replace its filtration system were awarded without going through a competitive bidding process, arguing the country's impending 250th anniversary celebrations created an "unusual and compelling urgency."
"[D]elaying the award long enough to conduct a competitive procurement would prevent the National Park Service from completing the work in time to reopen the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool for the Nation's 250th anniversary event series," the Department of the Interior said in contracting documents. "This delay would result in serious injury to the Government, including failure to meet statutory visitor-safety responsibilities and operational commitments for the 250th."
ABC News' Elise Spenner, Katherine Faulders and Peter Charalambous contributed to this report.
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