The Interior Department drew attention Thursday after using a comparison to the Iranian navy while celebrating progress in cleaning the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool following a costly renovation project.

In a post on X, the department highlighted the success of a new algae-fighting system installed at the historic Washington landmark.

“The advanced nanobubbler technology very effectively killed the algae that has plagued every Lincoln Reflecting Pool reopening—most infamously [former President] Obama’s reopening—since 1922,” the department’s press team wrote on social platform X.

Officials then took the comparison a step further, likening the dead algae at the bottom of the pool to Iranian naval vessels destroyed during recent military operations.

“The Reflecting Pool water is crystal clear, and 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,” the department added.

The remark comes after extensive U.S. and Israeli military strikes against Iran. Earlier this year, U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper stated that more than 60 Iranian vessels had been struck during the opening stages of the conflict.

The Reflecting Pool’s latest problems emerged only days after completion of a renovation project that cost more than $13 million. Shortly after the work concluded, the water turned green because of an algae bloom.

In Thursday’s update, the Interior Department said the vacuuming process represents “is the final maintenance step” after the pool was refilled and noted that the work “will be complete in a few days.”

The agency also released a photograph showing noticeably clearer water and pointed to the appearance of the pool’s bottom surface.

“Already, the section of the Reflecting Pool closest to the Lincoln Memorial has been vacuumed up, and the beautiful American Flag Blue coating on the bottom of the pool can be seen clearly.”

A department spokesperson told The Hill that crews are using hydrogen peroxide treatments to eliminate the algae and said the process carries “no harmful side effects” for aquatic life or the surrounding environment.

“The nanobubble technology has been tested and validated by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), The Ohio State University and The University of Florida,” the spokesperson added.

According to a federal contract worth more than $1.7 million between the Interior Department and Green Water Solutions, the nanobubble system is designed to reduce algae growth by depriving it of the nutrients it needs to thrive.

The technology works by injecting ozone-filled nanobubbles into the water. Those bubbles react chemically to generate oxidizing agents that attach to contaminants, toxins, and organic material, breaking them down.

Algae have long been a recurring challenge at the Reflecting Pool. The problem has persisted since the memorial opened in 1922 and has resurfaced after previous restoration efforts, including renovations completed during the Obama administration.

{Matzav.com}