OK, they’re draining the reflecting pool again. All the pictures I’ve seen show no hint of the blue color that’s supposed to be there. Is it just because the color is obscured by scum from the drained water?
You can see the blue in this flapping piece in this Facebook video.
I had the same thought. You can see it live from the Washington Monument streaming cam, and it sure doesn’t look blue.
Interesting that it appears a bit blue there. But all the images I’ve seen look very gray.
I take that back. This one is “blue-ish”:
From Trump Again Claims 'Vandals' Damaged Reflecting Pool As It Gets Drained (Photos)
Isn’t that just the sky being reflected?
Maybe the bottom is blue and the top isn’t.
I found a photo of them adding the lining:
It looks very blue there. It’s from this article:
And here is another photo showing it from far above:
It looks to me from newer photos like the lining just isn’t there, whether removed intentionally or the damage was really extensive. I seem to remember that repairing the lining is part of the warranty from the vendor, so maybe it was removed and will be resurfaced. Just a WAG.
It’s either that the lining or the coating degraded very quickly, or that as the water drained the algae bloom in the water column just was left on the surface, hiding the remains of the blue. I bet if you could wipe it you’d see blue(ish) under the grey gunk.