Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool begins refilling after failed renovation

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., is being refilled following a controversial and costly renovation process. The project, which has cost approximately $15 million—significantly exceeding the original $1 million to $2 million estimate—faced major setbacks after a new blue liner began peeling.

A failure analysis report revealed that the liner failed in at least 85 spots. The report indicates that the damage was caused by using incorrect materials and rushing the process to meet a July 4th deadline; workers were reportedly painting the liner while it was still being applied, failing to allow the necessary 72-hour curing period. While President Donald Trump has attributed the damage to vandalism, federal prosecutors and investigative reports point to installation errors by the contractor, Atlantic Industrial Coatings, which was awarded a no-bid contract.

The Department of the Interior stated that the contractor is contractually obligated to fix the issues under warranty. The National Park Service has noted that the water may appear cloudy during the initial refilling process.