Just days after crews finished cleaning up an algae bloom in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, the national monument faces a new issue. Visitors have spotted peeling in the new protective coating that was applied to the bottom of the pool as part of its recent $14 million renovation.
President Donald Trump recently had the pool coated with a sealant he called the “latest and greatest filament,” an “industrial-grade” version of a swimming pool liner in a color he personally chose: “American Flag Blue.” It was part of his broader push to refresh monuments and public spaces.
Work on the pool wrapped up earlier this month, with Trump announcing its completion in a social media post.
“It was originally opened in 1922, but never functioned properly — now it does!” he touted on June 6.
The clean-up of the reflecting pool began in April as part of Trump’s efforts to improve the architecture in and around Washington to mark the nation’s 250th birthday.
‘I want my money back’
The discovery of issues with the sealant comes just days after the pool turned bright green from an algae outbreak, prompting crews to remove the growth and treat the water with large amounts of hydrogen peroxide.
Now, some visitors are questioning whether the project is delivering the results promised.
“I want my money back after seeing this. I think that it was a huge waste of money to begin with,” Robert Dale, visitor from Colorado said. “And I think our resources could be used a lot better elsewhere.”
The Department of the Interior said Wednesday in a social media post that the water is now “crystal clear,” but photos and video taken Thursday still show algae in the pool.
“This is now getting close to $15 million going to this pool. This very fancy vinyl coating in American flag blue — it didn’t last a week before it’s coming up here,” Aaron Weiss, also visiting from Colorado, said.
He added, “The Trump administration operates at the sweet spot of malice and incompetence and this is just the incompetence on display.”
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