In April, President Trump announced that his latest construction project was revamping the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
The pool has been plagued for decades by leaks and algae blooms that turn its water green. Mr. Trump said he had found a contactor who could solve the leak problem, by waterproofing the pool’s 2,000-foot-long floor and painting it blue.
Mr. Trump initially said the work would cost $1.8 million. But the cost of the project has now risen to more than $13 million. And Interior Department staff members have raised concerns about the quality and speed of the work, asking if it can be done by the government’s deadline of May 22.
Here’s a rundown of the renovation process at the Reflecting Pool.
The problem
Even after the Obama administration spent more than $35 million to overhaul the Reflecting Pool between 2010 and 2012, the pool’s problems with leaks and algae persisted.
The shallow waters of the pool often act as a petri dish in the hot summer sun, which is conducive for algae growth. The pool’s length also means it requires dozens of joints between its concrete slabs. Those joints have proved prone to leakage. The pool currently leaks 16 million gallons of water a year, which the National Park Service must pay to replace.
Trump’s solution
The contract to waterproof and repaint the pool was awarded on April 3 to a Virginia firm, Atlantic Industrial Coatings. The company is supposed to reseal the pool’s joints, and waterproof the slabs.
The pool floor was previously gray, but Mr. Trump said he chose a new shade: “American flag blue.” Mr. Trump initially said he recommended the firm because of the work it did on swimming pools at his golf clubs. But on Tuesday, he denied knowing the company in a post on Truth Social.
Mr. Trump’s plan does not address one of the pool’s main problems: faulty plumbing in its filtration system. The Interior Department says it has plans to start that work in the fall. If the pipes are not fixed, experts said it was unclear if Mr. Trump’s pool would remain blue — or if it would soon be obscured by a recurring layer of green algae.
The progress
As of Sunday only about 35 percent of the pool’s surface had been fully coated, according to government documents seen by The New York Times.
Another key task that Atlantic Industrial Coatings must complete — replacing leaking joints between the pool’s slabs — was listed as 0 percent complete, with 12 days left before the deadline.
Interior Department staff members have also raised concerns that the pool’s blue coating was unevenly applied, leaving a mottled variety of shades, according to documents seen by The Times. Katie Martin, a spokeswoman for the Interior Department, said that the varying shades were only temporary, and that the pool would be a uniform shade when it was completed.
