Crews are draining the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool again as part of
Trump's troubled revamp
[July 11, 2026]
By WILL WEISSERT
WASHINGTON (AP) — Crews are again draining the Lincoln Memorial
Reflecting Pool as President Donald Trump’s problem-plagued effort to
revamp the waterway pushes well past his initial goal of having it ready
by July 4 to mark the nation’s 250th birthday.
The president at first suggested his renovations would last a century.
But, within weeks of the project originally reaching completion last
month, the water was beset by an algae bloom and pieces of the new
coating appeared to be peeling off the bottom.
Trump has blamed the peeling on vandals, though critics allege it's from
shoddy repair work.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, whose agency oversees the National Park
Service, told conservative podcaster Katie Miller in an interview
released earlier this week that the new round of draining was planned.
He also said that the water might still contain debris from an extensive
Independence Day fireworks display over the National Mall.
“Drain the water, clean up the fireworks stuff,” Burgum told Miller, who
is the wife of deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller. “Repair
the vandalism that was done. Fill it back up again.”
The work on the Reflecting Pool is just one of a number of projects
Trump has spearheaded across the nation's capital. Most prominently, he
demolished the White House’s East Wing to build a $400 million ballroom
and plans to build a towering arch between the Lincoln Memorial and
Arlington National Cemetery.
He initially announced his intentions to beautify the Reflecting Pool
this spring, saying he wanted it completed before the nation’s 250th
birthday celebrations.
Water was drained and Trump directed that the bottom be painted what he
called “American flag blue.” In May, the president posted on his social
media site of the pool: “The goal is to have it done, at this higher
level, prior to July 4th — We are ahead of schedule!”
But problems began quickly after the initial work was finished. Trump
blamed vandals, and court documents later showed that the National Park
Service reported to the U.S. Park Police a June 9 incident in which a
sharp knife or razor cut the pool’s new liner.
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National Park Service workers stand near a pump placed next to the
Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Friday, July 10, 2026, in
Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
On Thursday, former Olympic canoe racer David Hearn pleaded not
guilty in D.C. Superior Court to deliberately damaging the
Reflecting Pool. Hearn has said he reached inside the pool to
examine the peeled sealant and let go of a chunk when he was told to
by a park worker.
His attorneys and other Trump administration critics have derided
the case as an abuse of prosecutorial power and maintain he is being
scapegoated for the poor job done fixing up the Reflecting Pool.
At least three other people have been charged in the same court with
misdemeanors for allegedly removing pieces of paint from the
Reflecting Pool, according to online court records. All three
pleaded not guilty during their initial court appearances Wednesday.
The pool was closed for the Independence Day celebration, which
featured what Trump said was the largest fireworks display in the
world. The president had said that the pool would have to be drained
anew as part of the new round of repairs.
Burgum has also said that the Trump administration won't seek bids
for the new rounds of repairs. He told CNN's “State of the Union”
last weekend: “We’ll use the same company because they did a
fantastic job."
Ohio-based Green Water Solutions, also known as Greenwater Services,
was given 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.
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