Crews again drain Trump’s troubled reflecting pool | Washington DC
Crews were observed Friday draining the offending Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, a landmark at the heart of Donald Trump’s mission to beautify Washington, D.C.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the agency that oversees the National Park Service, told conservative podcast host Katie Miller in an interview published earlier this week that a new round of drainage is planned. He also said the water may contain debris from the extensive Independence Day fireworks display on the National Mall.
“Drain the water, clean up the fireworks,” Burgum said to Miller, the wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. “Repair vandalism. Refill.”
Early in his second term, Trump set his sights on the 104-year-old pool on the National Mall, describing it as “filthy, dirty” and suggesting that his predecessor Joe Biden’s administration had failed to preserve the site.
He sought to make the pool a symbol of American patriotism by ensuring that the lining covering the lower part of the structure reflected the hue of the US flag.
The renovation faced criticism for its installation price tag; Estimated cost as of June on $16 million – the project was hampered by algae blooms that turned the pool green and stripped the blue lining.
The Trump administration blamed the pool’s problems on “vandals.” Several people have been arrested in connection with false allegations; They include former Olympic cyclist David Hearn, who has pleaded not guilty to a serious charge of destruction of property. Hearn said he reached into the pool to examine the peeled fill and left a piece behind when a park employee told him to.
“This indictment reflects the administration’s effort to take responsibility for its own failures,” Hearn’s lawyers said, according to the Associated Press. “The justice system exists to determine the facts, not to provide political cover.”
The revamp also came under scrutiny after reports emerged that some of the selected contractors had long ties to Trump, with critics denouncing nepotism.
The work on the reflecting pool is just one of many projects Trump is spearheading in the nation’s capital. Most prominently, he demolished the East Wing of the White House to build a $400 million ballroom and planned to build a soaring arch between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington national cemetery.
When Trump first announced his intention to beautify the reflecting pool this spring, he said he wanted it completed before the nation’s 250th birthday celebrations.
The water was drained and Trump ordered the base to be painted what he called “American flag blue.” In May, the president posted on the social media site about the pool: “The goal is to get this done at this higher level before the 4th of July – We are ahead of schedule!”
However, after the initial work was completed, problems quickly began. Trump blamed the vandals, and court documents later showed that the National Park Service notified police of an incident on June 9 in which a sharp knife or razor cut the pool’s new liner.
The pool was closed for Independence Day celebrations, which Trump said was the largest fireworks display in the world. The president had said the pool would need to be drained again as part of the new round of repairs.
Burgum also said the Trump administration will not seek bids for new rounds of repairs. “We’re going to use the same company because they’ve done a great job,” he told CNN’s State of the Union last weekend.
Ohio-based Green Water Solutions, also known as Greenwater Services, was awarded a $1.7 million contract to install a water purification system in the reflecting pool, while Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings was awarded $14.7 million to repaint and waterproof the pool’s concrete floor.
Democratic senators and House members are investigating the pool project, including seeking answers about how much taxpayer funding is involved.
Associated Press contributed reporting
