Donald Trump has announced that the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool will likely be drained again for repairs, as his administration continues to battle algae, peeling coating and damage blamed on vandalism.
The pool, a long-running Washington, D.C. beautification project, remains fenced off and under close watch near the Lincoln Memorial, with federal workers and contractors still treating the water and inspecting the liner. The administration has said the work is part of preparations for the July 4 celebrations marking the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Trump initially pitched the renovation as a quick makeover that would restore the iconic site and give it a striking new look. But within weeks of water being returned to the basin, the pool developed a bright green algae bloom and sections of the newly installed blue coating began peeling away.
Trump said the pool was “in full use”.
He also addressed the lingering algae problems in a Truth Social post.
He wrote that the “criminally made algae is gone”.
Trump added that the pool would be in “perfect shape” after July 4th, once additional treatment had been completed.
Federal officials have since said the damage included a liner cut with a sharp knife or razor, along with destruction of delaminating surface material. The National Park Service has also said about 70 fence post tops were thrown into the pool during the incident that prompted U.S. Park Police involvement.
Trump has repeatedly blamed “vandalism” for the problems, saying the damage includes a “300 foot long gash” and accusations that chemicals were poured into the water. He has also said arrests have been made, although authorities have not publicly substantiated the claims in the way he described them.
Even before the damage was formally detailed, the refurbishment had already run into problems. After the pool was refilled in early June, workers used chemicals and ozone nanobubbles to fight the algae bloom, but the water still turned murky and sections of the coating began to separate from the bottom.
The budget has come under the spotlight as well, after rising far beyond the original figure associated with the work.
When the renovation was first outlined, the cost was expected to be about $2 million. That estimate later climbed to more than $14 million and has since been described by federal officials and lawmakers as a roughly $16 million rehabilitation project.
The Reflecting Pool has long been prone to algae, but the current episode has made the site one of the most closely watched symbols of Trump’s wider effort to reshape Washington, D.C. The administration has also said the pool may need to be drained again, either immediately before or after July 4, to complete permanent repairs.
For now, the pool remains a work in progress, with fencing, patrols and repair crews still visible around one of the city’s most photographed landmarks.