Trump Donor’s Firm Got a No-Bid Reflecting Pool Contract — and a Troubled Track Record

The Interior Department awarded Greenwater Services, also known as Green Water Solutions, a $1.7 million no-bid contract in April to install a “NanoBubble Ozone Technology” system to clean the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, citing a contracting rule for projects of “unusual and compelling urgency” tied to the July 4 celebration of America’s 250th anniversary [1]. The company is owned through the J.J. Cafaro Investment Trust by John Cafaro, who has donated $250,000 to Trump in 2020 and $100,000 in 2024, according to Federal Election Commission records [1, 3]. It is the second no-bid federal contract Greenwater has received since Trump returned to office; the first was a roughly $1 million 2025 award for a feasibility study on using the same Nano Bubble system to treat sewage flows in the Tijuana River, a project the Washington Post reports had troubled results [2].

Why It Sucks:

Trump Administration and Interior Officials

• The deadline left no time to spare. Officials say the urgency exception exists precisely for situations like this — a landmark that needed to look its best for the nation’s 250th birthday celebration on a fixed date [1].
• NanoBubble technology has real applications. Greenwater describes its ozone-based process as an “environmentally conscious, science-based treatment process designed for water remediation in sensitive environments,” and defenders say the technology fit the Reflecting Pool’s needs [1].
• Emergency contracting is a normal tool. Administration officials note that urgency-based, non-competitive contracts are a routine and legal part of federal procurement, not unique to this award [1].

Democrats and Government Watchdogs

• A donor got paid twice without competition. Greenwater has now landed two no-bid federal contracts under Trump, worth a combined $2.7 million, despite its owner’s six-figure donations to Trump’s campaigns [1, 3].
• The urgency excuse looks convenient. Watchdogs argue tying a no-bid award to a fixed political anniversary date is a familiar way to sidestep competitive bidding requirements meant to protect taxpayers [1].
• A troubled history should have been a red flag. Reporting shows the company’s earlier Tijuana River feasibility project ran into trouble, raising questions about why it was trusted again with a second contract on a national monument [2].

Taxpayers and Engineering Experts

• Public money, unproven results. With the company’s prior Nano Bubble project on the Tijuana River described as troubled, taxpayers are left funding a second experimental deployment of the same technology on a national landmark [2].
• No competitive check on price or quality. Skipping competitive bidding means there was no independent comparison to confirm $1.7 million was a fair price or that Greenwater’s technology was the best available option [1].
• Accountability is now an afterthought. With the contract already awarded and installed, experts say there’s little mechanism to claw back funds or demand a redo if the NanoBubble system underperforms at the Reflecting Pool the way it reportedly did on the Tijuana River [2].

Sources & Citations:

[1] CBS News: Company owned by Trump donor won $1.7 million no-bid Reflecting Pool cleaning contract
[2] Washington Post: Before Reflecting Pool, algae contractor had troubled project on a trash-infested river
[3] Newsweek: Who Is John Cafaro? Trump Donor Scrutinized Amid Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Debacle