Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Project Becomes a Political and Public Relations Disaster
What was meant to be a showcase project ahead of America’s 250th independence anniversary has turned into a controversy in Washington over the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The roughly 600-meter pool, one of the capital’s most recognizable landmarks, has become the subject of political, media and legal disputes after a $14.7 million renovation ended with dead ducks, green water, peeling coating and calls for a congressional investigation.
President Donald Trump has insisted that the damage was deliberate. He said unidentified people made a “350-foot cut” in the new lining and carried out additional acts of sabotage, and promised to release photos and videos proving it. So far, however, no public evidence has been released. Government documents obtained by The New York Times reportedly show no indication that the peeling or algae bloom were caused intentionally.
The work began in April after Trump said the historic pool, which sits between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument and was opened more than a century ago, had been neglected for years and was “dirty.” The contract was awarded without a tender to Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a company Trump said had previously worked on swimming pools at one of his golf clubs. The pool was drained, resurfaced with a dark-blue rubber coating Trump called “American Flag Blue,” and he boasted it was so durable that “even if you come with a knife, you won’t be able to cut it.”
Trump declared the renovation finished on June 6, but within days a massive algae bloom spread across the water and workers were seen pouring hydrogen peroxide into the pool to fight it. Soon after, large sections of the new coating began to detach and float to the surface. Reports then emerged of wildlife deaths, including a duckling found dead in the pool and two more ducks found dead in a nearby pool in Constitution Gardens, about 75 meters away. Experts said the cause was still unknown, but noted the birds move between the two waters and may have been exposed to toxic cyanobacteria or chemicals linked to the renovation.
The White House said six people had been arrested, though only one arrest has been officially confirmed. That person is David Hearn, 67, a former U.S. Olympic canoe team member, who said he was detained after bending down to touch a detached piece of liner while cycling past the pool. He said he was held for about five hours despite denying any damage. The site is now heavily secured, with fencing, National Guard personnel and park police on patrol. Trump has warned that anyone convicted of damaging the pool could face up to 10 years in prison, and he said some of the water will be drained before or after July 4 for a “permanent fix.”
