Federal officials overseeing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool this week again partially drained the landmark to remove fireworks debris and repair alleged vandalism, even after the pool received a $14 million renovation ahead of the Fourth of July. The pool has continued to struggle with recurring algae blooms, and the White House recently paid a contractor $1.7 million to install nanobubble technology in an effort to improve water quality.
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The same basic approach to water treatment is already in use at Revel Surf in Mesa, where a Gilbert-based company called AQUADEI supplied a system designed to limit algae and lower the facility’s chemical footprint. AQUADEI CEO Michael Geyer said algae control is among the biggest challenges for large open-water displays and recreational facilities. “Trying to mitigate algae is probably one of the biggest challenges (for the reflecting pool),” he said, describing the reasoning behind the technology’s use.
Waves breaking in the pool at a Mesa surf park, where nanobubble technology — similar to systems used at the DC Reflecting Pool — is used to help keep the water clean.
AQUADEI’s system operates by infusing water with oxygen and ozone. Geyer explained the science in simple terms: oxygen creates a modest oxidizing effect on its own, and the addition of ozone amplifies that action. “First, you have oxygen. Oxygen by itself is a minor disinfectant oxidizer. We add ozone to the mix. Ozone is 20 to 3,000 times stronger than chlorine,” he said. The company says the tiny bubbles it generates — nanobubbles that are too small to be seen with the naked eye — remain suspended in the water and provide extended oxidizing and disinfection activity without relying on large amounts of added chemical disinfectant.
The technology’s practical outcome at Revel Surf has been a substantial reduction in chlorine use. Maricopa County regulators allowed the park to operate with lower-than-typical chlorine concentrations because of the nanobubble system. Revel Surf co-owner Matt Gunn said the project was aimed at delivering a beach-like experience rather than the sensation of a conventional chlorinated pool; the facility holds about 3 million gallons of water. Gunn discussed operational targets for disinfectant levels and the contrast with standard practice. “Typically for a body of water this size, you’re like 3 to 5 PPM of chlorine, and we’re around half a percent, half a point to one,” he said.
Lowering the overall chemical load has tangible effects for swimmers, operators say. Gunn pointed to fewer physical side effects tied to heavy disinfection — particularly for people with skin conditions — and described a different sensory experience in the water. “You don’t get the eye itch, you don’t get the eye burn, you don’t get the dryness on your skin,” he said, attributing those improvements to the reduced reliance on chlorine when the nanobubble system is active.
AQUADEI also emphasizes academic and environmental partnerships as part of its development work. The company maintains research ties with multiple universities, including Arizona State University, and markets the technology for applications beyond recreational pools. Geyer highlighted broader environmental benefits tied to reduced chemical use: “We don’t want more chemicals going into the sewer systems, into the aquifers,” he said, adding that treated water dispersed onto surrounding vegetation could improve soils and benefit plant life in adjacent areas.
Nanobubble applications are not limited to leisure water features, the company notes; the process is also deployed in wastewater treatment, agricultural settings and lake and pond restoration projects. Geyer said that more industries are adopting nanobubble technology and that he expects it to become more commonplace. At the same time, AQUADEI offered a technical explanation for why installations can perform differently from one site to another: the size of a pool and the machinery and processes a contractor uses matter. The company said it produces nanobubbles using a method called hydrodynamic cavitation, which it claims allows the bubbles to persist in the water for a longer period — a factor it said could influence effectiveness in combating algae in very large bodies of water such as the Reflecting Pool.
Local regulators and facility operators have taken note of the results at Revel Surf as federal teams address long-standing algae issues at the national monument. AQUADEI and Revel Surf representatives described how the nanobubble system reduced disinfectant requirements and altered swimmer experience while stressing the challenges presented by the much larger and differently managed Reflecting Pool installation.
Experts note that while ozone nanobubbles rapidly clear algae as seen after the Reflecting Pool's renovation, they can also eliminate beneficial aerobic bacteria that help suppress future blooms, potentially favoring a switch to oxygen nanobubbles for better long-term ecosystem balance. (The Conversation, Australian National University researchers)
Federal records identify the $1.7 million nanobubble/ozone system contract as having been awarded to Greenwater Services (also operating as Green Water Solutions), an Ohio‑based firm listed under the J.J. Cafaro Investment Trust; the award was made using an "unusual and compelling urgency" sole‑source exemption that bypassed competitive bidding.
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool holds roughly 6.5 million gallons of water; reporting says temporary nanobubbler machines were removed from the pool edge on June 12 ahead of a White House event and were reinstalled within about 36 hours, with a permanent system reported to have taken full operation on June 25.
Members of Congress, including Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Robert Garcia, have publicly demanded answers and oversight about the renovation spending and the use of no‑bid contracts for the Reflecting Pool work.
News coverage has noted that Greenwater Services had limited prior federal contracting history and that media outlets identified its ownership as linked to a political donor who lives near Mar‑a‑Lago, prompting questions about vendor selection and procurement transparency.