GoKawiilSteve Goodale isn’t used to attention like this. It’s not that he’s unfamiliar with being on camera: His YouTube Channel, Swimming Pool Steve, has amassed nearly 91,000 subscribers covering topics like how to bond concrete and clean a used hot tub.
But the saga of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which an algae bloom turned green following a renovation that President Donald Trump’s administration claimed would make the pool “American flag blue” in time for the US’s 250th birthday celebrations, has left people searching for answers about what the heck is going on.
The mystery has only deepened as chunks of the newly installed lining have appeared to break off and Trump has said the pool will be drained while, without evidence, blaming vandals for the problems. Add in US Park Police arresting people for touching the water like it’s some kind of biohazard, and that’s made Goodale, an award-winning pool expert, one of the most in-demand sources for anyone trying to figure out what’s happening to the iconic monument.
Pools are in Goodale’s blood: He learned the tricks of the trade from his Uncle Joe and refers to pools as “a family business.” I called him up to go over some of WIRED’s most burning pool questions. This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
WIRED: Are you sick of talking about all this yet?
Steve Goodale: This is like the Simpsons episode where the devil force-feeds donuts to Homer. “So, you like talking about pools, do you?”
“We heard you like talking about pools, so we’re going to give you pools 24/7. All the time.”
I’ve been talking about them forever. It’s just now everybody is listening.
You’ve gotten a lot of reporters calling you and asking, what exactly is wrong with the Lincoln Memorial pool. But from watching your videos, it sounds like it’s hard to say there’s one definitive thing wrong with it.
There’s not enough information, in terms of pictures, videos, water chemistry values.
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