WASHINGTON, September 4 — The federal government has awarded a new $2.7 million contract to American Ag Energy, Inc. for maintenance, repair and rebuilding of water treatment equipment at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, according to government spending data. The award, made last week, signals an apparent reversal by the administration. In July, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced the government would not pursue additional contracts amid questions about escalating costs and no-bid awards.
The project was launched by President Donald Trump to beautify the Reflecting Pool before the nation’s 250th birthday celebrations on July Fourth. The president initially suggested renovations would cost $1.5 million, but the bill had ballooned to more than $16 million by June.
A Troubled Project
The project has faced immediate problems, including peeling blue sealant and a fierce return of green algae. Earlier contracts included a $1.7 million award to Ohio-based Green Water Solutions, also known as Greenwater Services, to install a water-purification system, and a $14.7 million award to Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings to repaint and waterproof the pool’s concrete floor.
Richard Rosen, founder and CEO of American Ag Energy, told NBC News his company is known for environmental work and that he believed he could fix the National Park Service’s months-long battle with algae. Rosen said he read about the problem in the New York Times and concluded, “I can fix this problem.”
Science Over Politics
Rosen said his company was one of five lobbying for the contract and that the administration told him his team was selected “On merit.” He stated, “Our goal is to have nothing growing in the water.” His team, some already working on the ground in DC, is conducting a biological and chemistry profile of the pool to understand water sources, organisms present, and environmental impacts. Rosen said the issue stems from the pool bottom’s color changing while the chemical makeup of cleaning agents stayed the same.
He believes the $2.7 million contract is sufficient, saying, “I think we can do a lot of stuff for much lower cost, because we are going to focus on knowing what we’re doing,” but added, “I don’t believe in anything until I actually see it work.” Rosen, a Harvard-educated engineer, said, “I don’t want any politics in this at all. We don’t have any political motivations here.
This is really science and technology and engineering.” Construction on the pool was photographed continuing on September 1.
