Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Receives $1.7M No‑Bid Contract to Greenwater Services

The National Park Service awarded a $1.7 million no‑bid contract to Greenwater Services of Brookfield, Ohio, to install a water‑purification system in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The firm is owned by the J.J. Cafaro Investment Trust, whose leader John J. Cafaro is a longtime donor to former President Donald Trump; Trump has called Cafaro a “fantastic man.”

The contract bypassed the usual competitive‑bidding process, with the agency citing an urgent need to have the system ready for events marking the United States’ 250th birthday. Work began in the spring, but algae blooms have returned, turning the water green. Park Service staff have been vacuuming algae and adding hydrogen peroxide in attempts to clear it. A separate $14.7 million no‑bid contract was also given to Virginia‑based Atlantic Industrial Coatings for related work.

The Interior Department said the firm was chosen for its expertise and materials, and both the department and the White House denied involvement in the selection. The situation has drawn scrutiny over the use of sole‑source contracts linked to political donors.