The iconic cascading fountain in Meridian Hill Park, also known as Malcolm X Park, turned a thick, opaque brown just months after a $16 million renovation led by President Donald Trump.The discoloration occurred six days after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held a ceremony celebrating Trump's work at the site.The National Park Service attributed the issue to sediment flushed from pipes that had been out of service for years.

Crews testing upper fountains not included in the original repair contract inadvertently caused accumulated sediment and rust from old lines to flow into the cascading fountain.

This incident mirrors recent problems at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, where a Trump-ordered renovation to paint the bottom 'American flag blue' resulted in green algae blooms and peeling paint.The National Park Service expects water clarity to return within 24 to 36 hours.Visitors expressed disappointment, with one telling Newsweek's White House reporter Leonardo Feldman, 'I think it's pretty nasty.' The controversy highlights ongoing debates about public infrastructure projects and their unintended consequences.