What a new Justice Department filing says about the ‘botched’ Reflecting Pool renovation

Justice Department Reveals New Details on Reflecting Pool Renovation Mishap

Qwenews.com – A recent filing from the Justice Department has exposed how the accelerated timeline for President Donald Trump’s renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool resulted in “hasty and botched work.” This revelation provides additional context regarding the issues surrounding the $14 million improvement project at the Washington landmark.

DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro offered a direct challenge to assertions made by Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum over recent weeks. According to Pirro, the flawed installation stemmed from unfavorable weather conditions, testing problems, and shipment delays rather than external interference. Despite this explanation, both Trump and Burgum maintain that vandals are responsible for the deteriorating pool lining, green water, and algae blooms that emerged following the renovation.

“I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, on the Reflecting Pool. I don’t know what she was thinking? To me, it was a pure case of VANDALISM,” Trump stated on Truth Social on Saturday.

Burgum similarly rejected the findings in a social media message, asserting that “The evidence is clear, vandals have repeatedly caused damage to the Reflecting Pool.”

Project Origins and Expanding Scope

Trump initiated the renovation effort in late March, characterizing the Reflecting Pool as “absolutely filthy” and promising to transform it into something “look gorgeous.” During subsequent weeks, the president broadened the project’s parameters and mandated cosmetic modifications, notably painting the pool’s bottom in “American flag blue.” This color alteration promptly triggered litigation from a nonprofit organization, which contended that the work breached federal regulations mandating an Interior Department consultation before commencement.

The administration also committed to finishing the renovation before America’s 250th birthday on July Fourth. This accelerated schedule, which officials acknowledged increased expenses, brought the total cost to nearly seven times the original projection of $1.8 million.

Installation Challenges and Delays

According to the Justice Department filing, Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a Virginia-based company serving as the exclusive contractor, commenced lining installation on May 5. The firm applied two coating products—Rhino 406 and Pipeliner 5000—across the nearly 340,000-square-foot pool, an area comparable to six football fields.

Spring rainfall substantially interrupted the expedited installation process that the Trump administration envisioned. At certain points, workers needed to pump accumulated rainwater to enable the coating to dry properly. Despite continued spraying of the lining material, weather-related setbacks drew attention from an employee at Brown Construction Services, which monitored Atlantic Industrial Coatings’ progress.

“It appears AIC is significantly behind schedule,” the employee noted in a May 7 communication.

Complications intensified when Atlantic Industrial Coatings depleted its supply of Rhino 406, one of the primary coating materials. Additionally, a quality control inspector identified “blistering” in completed sections of the lining and recommended corrective measures.

Post-Completion Issues and Responses

Crews finalized a site inspection on June 9 and subsequently refilled the pool. CNN documented algae presence the following day, visible in certain areas from the water’s edge along the pool bottom. A worker vacuuming within the pool confirmed to CNN that the substance was algae.

At the project’s beginning, the administration engaged Greenwater Services, which deployed a $1.7 million “ozone nanobubbler” to eliminate algae, bacteria, and other chemical contaminants. The company later explained to CNN that certain accommodations were necessary to satisfy the president’s July Fourth deadline.

By June 11, a National Park Service engineer noticed peeling in the Reflecting Pool lining. An employee documented in an email to NPS and Interior Department staff that “Only the top layer of liner has peeled. This is very thin and will not impact the strength of the liner.” The Park Service engineer reported that the contractor explained the peeled section resulted from “overspray” during the application of polyurea, an elastic coating, to the perimeter joint. The employee expressed concern that this overspray might lead to further complications.

These new details emerged from the DOJ’s Friday filing, which announced the decision to dismiss the case against former Olympian David Hearn, who had been accused of vandalizing the landmark.