Ongoing Renovations and Issues Visible in Washington, DC

An aerial photo taken by a passenger on a commercial flight descending into Washington, DC this week captured images of several renovations taking place across the city. The photo, taken on June 16, reveals the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool covered in algae, damage to the White House South Lawn after the UFC Freedom 250 fight, and a message marked ‘8647’ on the National Mall. The latter prompted an investigation by the U.S. Park Police.

The Department of the Interior recently completed work on the Reflecting Pool. However, the pool’s current algae-ridden state contrasts the intended ‘American Flag Blue’ color chosen by former President Donald Trump for the upcoming 250th national anniversary.

Efforts to address the algae issue are ongoing. On June 17, workers applied hydrogen peroxide to the pool to combat the algae. Despite these efforts, some sections remained green as of Wednesday.

In addition, the South Lawn of the White House sustained damage after the UFC fight that took place on June 14. To address this, the White House announced on June 16 that ScottsMiracle-Gro and the National Park Service are collaborating to restore the lawn. ScottsMiracle-Gro has pledged $1 million for the restoration project.

USA TODAY has reached out to the National Park Service for further information regarding the discoloration and the politically charged message on the National Mall.

Contributing: Bart Jansen/USA TODAY

Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Contact her at [email protected].