Reflecting Pool Liner Cut With Knife, NPS Confirms
The National Park Service has confirmed that the liner of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington D.C. was deliberately cut with a sharp knife or razor, according to a court filing by NPS Deputy Director Frank Lands. The damage, reported to U.S. Park Police on June 9, included a cut through the foam sealant and approximately 70 fence post tops thrown into the water, deepening the controversy surrounding President Donald Trump’s $16 million renovation of the historic landmark.
The Confirmed Damage
In a court filing submitted June 24 as part of a lawsuit by the Cultural Landscape Foundation, Lands stated that the police report indicated damage “including a caulk over the foam sealant that was cut with a sharp knife or razor and destruction of delaminating surface material.” The filing marks the first time the administration has offered specifics on how the pool may have been damaged after the renovation was substantially completed.
The Guardian reported that the NPS plans to drain the pool again after the July 4 Independence Day celebrations to conduct repairs, including assessing and repairing the lining damage.
A Troubled Renovation
The confirmation of vandalism comes amid a cascade of problems with Trump’s ambitious renovation project. What the president initially estimated as a $1.5-2 million, two-week job has ballooned into a $16 million, two-month ordeal plagued by algae blooms, peeling paint, and now confirmed sabotage.
The project, intended to beautify the pool with “American flag blue” paint ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday celebrations, has faced difficulties from the start. According to BBC News, the pool was refilled between June 4 and June 9 after the renovation was substantially complete. Shortly afterward, a severe algae bloom turned the water green, and large flakes of the new blue coating began peeling from the pool’s bottom.
The Vandalism Debate
President Trump has seized on the confirmed damage as vindication, claiming vandals created a 300-350 foot “gash” using box cutters or knives. However, the court filing does not specify the size of the cut, and a FactCheck.org analysis notes that the New York Times reported government documents showed two cuts in foam expansion joints that were not directly related to the peeling blue coating.
Experts in pool coatings and water quality have offered alternative explanations for the peeling. Improper surface preparation, water intrusion, and the hydrogen peroxide used to treat algae could all cause coating failure. Tufts University water quality modeler Steven Chapra told FactCheck.org that the pool’s algae problems have a simple explanation: “Shallow, no flushing, no mixing, high-nutrient water, no shading, dark blue bottom, go figure.”
Arrests and Investigation
Multiple individuals have been arrested in connection with the pool. Three-time U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn was arrested June 19 on a misdemeanor destruction of government property charge but denies vandalism, telling the Washington Post he merely touched already-peeled material out of curiosity. As of June 25, the Interior Department reported 7 arrests, 7 federal citations, and 18 police reports.
U.S. Park Police released a 30-second surveillance video on June 24 showing a person reaching into the pool and removing something, seeking help identifying the individual. However, it remains unclear whether this person was engaged in vandalism or simply examining the already-damaged coating.
Political Fallout
The Reflecting Pool saga has become a political battleground. A group of Senate Democrats led by Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) are investigating the project’s no-bid contracts and cost overruns. Atlantic Industrial Coatings received a $14.7 million no-bid contract, and Green Water Solutions received $1.7 million for a water purification system — contracts Democrats say were awarded to vendors with ties to Trump.
“After railing about waste, fraud and abuse, Donald Trump spent more than $16 million on a renovation of the Reflecting Pool that’s now peeling and chock full of algae,” Merkley said Thursday. “This is a massive waste of tax dollars.”
Meanwhile, the Cultural Landscape Foundation’s lawsuit to halt the blue paint application — arguing it violates the National Historic Preservation Act — continues in federal court.
What’s Next
The NPS plans to drain the pool after July 4 to conduct repairs. The pool, built in the 1920s and stretching 2,030 feet between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, has long suffered from leaks, structural deterioration, and algae growth. Whether the latest repairs will address the underlying issues — or simply set the stage for the next chapter in this unfolding controversy — remains an open question.
As congressional investigations proceed and the legal battle continues, one thing is clear: the nation’s most iconic reflecting pool has become a mirror for far more than the Washington Monument.