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In case you were alarmed by the images of ducklings floating around in the now-green Reflecting Pool, which the Trump administration has been dumping jugs of hydrogen peroxide into to try to contain an algal outbreak, they’re probably fine, says a D.C. wildlife group.
President Donald Trump last month ordered the pool’s basin to be painted “American flag blue” as part of his so-called beautification of D.C. He not only drew a lawsuit over it, but apparently contributed to a surge of algae in the pool. Workers were spotted earlier this week pouring gallons of hydrogen peroxide into the water, which did nothing to counter the algae’s takeover.
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Dr. Sophie Andrews, the medical director for D.C.’s Humane Rescue Alliance, said the duck families that have long congregated in the pool haven’t likely been harmed.
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“While it is generally recommended to avoid chemicals in water that animals come into contact with or ingest, in low concentrations such as those used to control algae populations, hydrogen peroxide is unlikely to have damaging effects to wildlife,” Andrews told HuffPost.
