Trump’s Rapid Reflecting Pool “Repair” Fails

Washington, DC —(Map)

In April, US President Donald Trump announced a plan to make changes to the famous Reflecting Pool on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Mr. Trump bent rules to get the changes completed quickly, saying the pool would be better and last longer. But after spending $16.4 million, the pool looks worse than ever.

The National Mall is a large open area in the center of Washington, DC. It is home to many important US monuments, such as the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. In between these two monuments is the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a large man-made pond.

The Reflecting Pool plays an important part in many famous pictures of the US capital. Many historic gatherings have taken place on the area around it. The calm water of the pool normally reflects images of the nearby monuments.

The pool was built in the late 1920s on land that was once marshy. Over the years, the water in the pool has caused problems many times. Between 2010 and 2012, the pool was closed while it was repaired. But some of the problems – including algae on the pool’s surface – came back soon after it opened again.

The Reflecting Pool, first built in the 1920s, plays an important part in many famous pictures of the US capital. Many historic gatherings have taken place on the area around it. Above, a crowd around the pool during the March on Washington in 1963 where Dr. Martin Luther King gave his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.

In April, Mr. Trump announced a plan to repair the pool and paint it “American Flag Blue”. He said the pool was in “terrible” condition. Mr. Trump was eager to get the work finished before the nation’s 250th birthday, on July 4.

Normally, companies that do work for the government are chosen slowly and carefully, out of many companies who have offered to do the work. The government usually compares these offers to find and choose the best one. But Mr. Trump’s government used a special rule meant for emergency situations to avoid this process.

Mr. Trump didn’t ask for offers from different companies. Instead, the project was given to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a company that had never worked for the US government before. But the company had worked on one of Mr. Trump’s golf courses.

At first, Mr. Trump said the job would “take one week and will cost about a million and a half dollars”.

But the repairs have taken about six weeks. The pool was drained and scrubbed. Its leaks were supposed to be fixed. Then it was waterproofed and painted blue.

Now, though, the pool may even be worse than before. Within days of refilling the pool, algae started to grow in the water again, turning the pool green. And it has remained green despite scrubbing and expensive equipment designed to clean the water.

Now, though, the pool may even be worse than before. Within days of refilling the pool, algae started to grow in the water again, turning the pool green. Scientists aren’t surprised about the algae growth. In recent days, strips of the paint have started floating up in the water (above).

Scientists aren’t surprised about the algae growth. The pool’s water comes indirectly from the polluted Potomac River. This contains lots of fertilizers which have washed off of farm lands. In the summer heat, these chemicals help drive algae growth.

In recent days, things have gotten even worse – strips of the paint have started floating up in the water. Mr. Trump is claiming, without proof, that people have damaged the pool work on purpose. But many people believe the problem is the natural result of a poor job that was rushed through.

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Did You Know…?
The Reflecting Pool work has cost about $16.4 million. So far. Atlantic Industrial Coatings was paid $14.7 million. Later, a second company was paid $1.7 million to try to clean the water. Much of this money comes from fees that people pay to visit US National Parks. Now, of course, the pool will need to be drained, cleaned, and treated again. So the final price tag will be much higher.