Reflecting Pool braces for another repair within months as Trump signals drainage plan

WASHINGTON, DC: The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is set to undergo another round of repair work months after the Trump administration spent around $14 million of taxpayers' money on renovation work.

The development comes after photos revealing algae and peeling paint surfaced, inviting huge backlash. However, Trump attributed the damage to vandalism and alleged that a chemical was poured by vandals to destroy the historical site.

Reflecting pool to be drained for new repair work

President Donald Trump announced that the Reflecting Pool might soon be drained for a fresh restoration work. His announcement came soon after he pledged jail time for those charged with vandalizing the newly refurbished Reflecting Pool.

Among those arrested was David Hearn, a three-time Olympic canoeist, who said authorities arrested him and held him for five hours on Friday, June 19, after he reached down into the pool.

“We met with contractors today, will probably be forced to release and drain much of the water in order to do the necessary repairs, but will have them done as quickly as possible,” Trump said in a Truth Social post Saturday night.

He further informed that the arrest was made in the case and reiterated that only after the recent restoration work, the reflecting pool actually reflected “the two Great Monuments, which it never had before.”

“Many additional people have been arrested having to do with the disgraceful Vandalism of our beautiful Reflecting Pool. It hasn’t looked or worked like this since 1922, when it was originally built, but even then, it leaked badly, and didn’t work,” Trump also wrote.

“Ours worked perfectly, including the mirror like finish, perfectly reflecting the two Great Monuments, which it never had before! What these terrible Vandals have done is a true affront to both Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and should be dealt with accordingly,” he added.

Reflecting pool repair work ballooned to over $14 million

Shortly after Trump’s ambitious plan to renovate the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial ended just before the country’s 250th birthday, the pool water turned green due to an algae bloom.

The cost of the repair work had increased by around 41.5 million to $14.7 million from the initially estimated cost of  $13.1 million within a span of a month.

On June 3, federal records show a transaction bringing the total cost up to $14.2 million.

However, records also indicate that there was an additional transaction of about $460,000 on June 15, bringing the total cost up to roughly $14.7 million.