parks
Opinion: Algae doesn't care about our party lines
By Scott Simon | NPR at LAist (KPCC / Southern California Public Radio)
· June 20, 2026
· 1 min read
A National Park Service employee uses a vacuum to clean the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.(Mark Schiefelbein / AP)The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has witnessed more than a century of American history, in all its heartbreak and majesty. Crowds have gathered around it in protest and in pra...
Key takeaway (Mark Schiefelbein / AP)The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has witnessed more than a century of American history, in all its heartbreak and majesty.
Why this matters in The Los Angeles
The struggles with algae in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool offer a familiar challenge for Los Angeles residents, who are no strangers to the impacts of warm water and sunlight on local waterways. As the City of Homes, Los Angeles has its own share of shallow pools and water features that can be prone to algae blooms, particularly during the warm summer months. The use of innovative filtration systems, such as the ozone nanobubbler filtration system deployed in the Reflecting Pool, may be of interest to local park administrators and homeowners looking to mitigate similar issues in their own communities. Furthermore, the Los Angeles Unified School District, which serves the City of Los Angeles, may find opportunities to incorporate lessons about algae and water management into their science curriculum, using the Reflecting Pool as a real-world example.
About this story
Original reporting by LAist (KPCC / Southern California Public Radio) . The Los Angeles surfaces reporting from trusted publishers and adds local editorial context so readers can quickly understand what a story means for their community. We attribute every source, link to the original report, and follow a documented editorial standards policy. To understand how stories are selected and reviewed, read our about page .
For the complete original report, visit LAist (KPCC / Southern California Public Radio) . Have a tip or correction? Contact our newsroom .
Category: parks ·
Published: June 20, 2026 ·
Source: LAist (KPCC / Southern California Public Radio) ·
Reading time: 1 min
Get more The Los Angeles stories like this
Free weekly briefing covering parks and other local news. Curated by our editorial team. No spam.
By subscribing you agree to our privacy policy . Unsubscribe anytime.
Frequently asked about this story
What is this story about? A National Park Service employee uses a vacuum to clean the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.(Mark Schiefelbein / AP)The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has witnessed more than a century of American history, in all its heartbreak and majesty. Crowds have gathered around it in protest and in pra...
When was this published? This article was first published on June 20, 2026 by LAist (KPCC / Southern California Public Radio) and curated for The Los Angeles readers.
Who reported this story? This story was reported by Scott Simon | NPR at LAist (KPCC / Southern California Public Radio). To learn more about how The Los Angeles selects and reviews stories, see our editorial standards .
Where can I find related coverage? See more parks coverage from The Los Angeles, or browse our daily briefing and topic hubs .
← Back to all news
More parks →
Today’s briefing
Subscribe to newsletter