To sum it up:The permanent ozone nannobubbler unit had not yet been fully fabricated in Ohio for the job, and yet the pool was being refilled with water. So, the company brought in temporary equipment to get the system running before the permanent structure was finished.
Four stand-alone mobile machines, which could be seen with the naked eye, were put in the Reflecting Pool on June 6, two days after the pool was refilled with water. The units, which work differently from the permanent ones, made small white plumes of bubbles as nozzles shot nanobubbles into the water. The company said the four machines were operating at the same amount of power that the permanent system would have had.
At that point the water was clear; everything was working well, according to the company.
Greenwater Services would not comment on the time gap when the temporary systems were removed. The Interior Department and White House did not respond to CNN’s questions about why the call was made to take the machines out of the water. The New York Times first reported on the removal of the temporary systems.
However, on June 12, a source close to the project said the company was asked by the National Park Service to remove the temporary structures. They were not given a reason. The four units were taken offline and off-site by the company. The algae bloom appeared, according to a person close to the project and video images of the pool captured that afternoon by a CNN camera.
During that 24-hour period, the Trump administration hosted a high-profile Ultimate Fighting Championship photo op on the National Mall.
The next day, the company reinstalled the temporary machines.
As the four temporary units continued to run, the permanent unit arrived on June 16 and installation began. On June 25, the temporary units were removed, and the permanent system began operating on its own, according to the company.
“What I think everyone learned is that when the system is allowed to run, it cleans the water and keeps it clean,” Erin Kramer, whose crisis communications firm Erin Kramer Consulting was hired by Greenwater Services, told CNN.
How the permanent system should work
The permanent ozone nanobubbler technology, unlike the temporary units, is not in the Reflecting Pool itself. The technology is instead housed in a small pump house, in the US Park Police stables just off the Reflecting Pool.
CNN exclusively obtained photos of last week’s installation of the technology in the pump house with the National Park Service, showing the high-tech system that is typically kept behind closed doors.
The water, which the Interior Department confirmed is pulled from municipal water, comes in and is filtered again. This is when Greenwater Service’s technology steps in.
An oxygen concentrator pulls air in and then sends an electrical current that breaks up that O2 into pure oxygen molecules to form “ozone.” That ozone is then injected into the master water pipe, through a series of patented nozzles with pressure.
That master pipe splits into numerous preexisting smaller pipes that run around the exterior of the Reflecting Pool, providing inputs for water to enter.
The Interior Department has previously noted the need to repair and potentially replace thousands of feet of pipes that have been in disrepair for several years.
The ozone nanobubbler relies on at least some of the pipes being viable.
Antinone said a number of the pipes are viable but was unsure how many are up and running. It is his understanding that the National Park Service intends to test to see which ones are working, he said.
The Interior Department has not responded to multiple questions about the status of the pipes and the plan for broader repair.
Antinone said the piping system would be one of the first things to look at should the algae return.
- The permanent nanobubbler wasn't ready when they started refilling the reflecting pool.
- The temporary nanobubblers seemed to be working. Until Trump had them removed for a UFC photo shoot.
- The permanent nonobubbler relies on pipes that may not be viable. It doesn't sound like there was enough time to check, or fix them, and still meet Trump's deadline.
But at least Trump picked a contractor with a fitting name.
