President Trump says the peeling blue coating and algae blooms that mar his $16.4 million renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool are the fault of vandals working with \u201cknives\u201d in the \u201cdark of night.\u201d<\/p>\n
But government documents obtained by The New York Times show that while National Park Service workers found two cuts in sections of foam between the pool\u2019s expansion joints, those were not directly related to the \u201cAmerican flag blue\u201d coating that is now peeling, or to the algae that has turned the pool a bright shade of green.<\/p>\n
Even as the documents show workers were attempting to address deteriorating conditions, Trump administration officials were insisting publicly that the pool was pristine.<\/p>\n
The pool had been drained, resealed and then refilled by June 5. Four days later, Park Service workers discovered holes, cracks and peeling caulking in parts of the pool, along with cuts in sections of the foam, according to the documents.<\/p>\n
The cause of the cuts was unclear. While a June 9 report by the U.S. Park Police described the cuts as \u201crazor blade slashes\u201d made along a 20-foot-long stretch of the foam, the administration has yet to present evidence supporting that assertion. The documents reviewed by The Times described them as two 171-foot blade cuts but did not address how they were made.<\/p>\n
By June 16, workers had noticed that chunks of blue sealant that covered the pool\u2019s bottom were peeling and floating to the surface, the documents show. That sealant was separate from the foam in the pool\u2019s expansion joints, which allow its concrete slabs to expand and contract.<\/p>\n
The workers had also discovered that some devices installed to kill algae were not working as intended, according to the documents. And enormous algae blooms had turned portions of the pool bright green instead of dark blue<\/a>.<\/p>\n But on June 15, Mr. Trump was still declaring the renovation a success, telling reporters that \u201cI\u2019m very good at building things and constructing things.\u201d<\/p>\n The Reflecting Pool is a centerpiece of Mr. Trump\u2019s attempts to remake the capital in honor of the nation\u2019s 250th birthday. The pool has been plagued by leaks and algae for decades; Mr. Trump boasted that he had repaired it quickly and affordably, but both problems have returned in force.<\/p>\n Work to fix the problems may not be finished until after July 4 \u2014 a setback for the president, who wanted the renovation to be completed before then.<\/p>\n On Saturday, Mr. Trump acknowledged the pool would have to be at least partially drained for more work. On Tuesday, the president said on social media<\/a> that six people had been arrested, and seven others had been cited, for slashing the pool\u2019s sealant with a \u201csharp knife or razors.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was purposefully and criminally done, and somebody had to work very hard, probably in the dark of night,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n Mr. Trump also told reporters on Monday, without offering evidence, that vandals had poured fertilizer into the pool to feed the algae.<\/p>\n Neither the Interior Department nor the White House would provide charging documents, citations or the names of anyone arrested. They did share the Park Police incident report, which said any suspect or suspects were unknown. The report also did not mention any damage to the pool\u2019s blue sealant, nor did it describe any vandals dumping fertilizer.<\/p>\n Katie Martin, a spokeswoman for the Interior Department, did not answer specific questions about the government documents but said in an email on Tuesday that the pool was \u201cclear\u201d and \u201creflecting beautifully.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhile President Trump was restoring a crown jewel of our nation\u2019s capital, which is supported by Americans across the country, vandals were attempting to destroy, impede and delay the ongoing work,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, portions of the pool appeared dark blue and reflected the Washington Monument and the overcast sky. But an enormous clump of green algae remained visible in the center.<\/p>\n A few curiosity seekers braved the rain to stroll around the site, which has become a sightseeing draw. They were outnumbered by throngs of law enforcement officers and other personnel, including from the National Guard, Park Police and U.S. Marshals Service. The National Guard troops were stationed around the pool\u2019s perimeter, with some huddling under trees to stay dry.<\/p>\n The Trump administration awarded two no-bid contracts<\/a> for the Reflecting Pool renovations, bypassing the legally required process of seeking competitive bids because of what it called an urgent need to complete the project for events around the nation\u2019s 250th birthday.<\/p>\n The first $14.7 million contract went to a Virginia-based company called Atlantic Industrial Coatings to spread the sealant in the \u201cAmerican flag blue\u201d shade across the pool\u2019s concrete slabs. The second $1.7 million contract<\/a> went to Ohio-based Greenwater Services to install devices called nanobubblers, which infuse the water with ozone to kill algae and bacteria.<\/p>\n On June 15, workers discovered that one or two of the four temporary nanobubblers weren\u2019t working at any given time because of problems with generators, and that the water was turning green. By the next day, officials had noticed blue coating peeling, as well.<\/p>\n Representatives for Atlantic Industrial Coatings and Greenwater Services, also known as Green Water Solutions, did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n Though Mr. Trump claimed vandals dumped fertilizer in the pool, his administration refilled it with D.C. municipal water, which is treated with phosphate to keep lead from leaching out of old pipes. But phosphate also provides nutrients for algae, as do droppings from ducks swimming in the pool.<\/p>\n