Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Partially Drained for Liner Repairs

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was partially drained on Monday, with sections fenced off as National Park Service crews began removing water to inspect and repair its liner. Administration officials said the draining allows removal of debris from Independence Day fireworks, inspection of damage to the new liner, and other maintenance.

President Donald Trump described one section of damage as a roughly 350-foot gash.

Damage to the liner was discovered on June 9, and the Trump administration has attributed it to vandalism. Authorities have arrested and charged several people in connection with alleged damage at the site. At least one person arrested has denied wrongdoing.

The current work is part of a multimillion-dollar renovation that applied a dark blue coating to the base of the century-old pool. The project aimed to prepare the pool for Fourth of July celebrations marking the nation's 250th anniversary. Reports of algae growth and peeling coating sections emerged within days after the pool was refilled in June.

By Monday afternoon, crews were nearly finished draining the pool, with photos showing the water level dropping and exposing the concrete surface. , welcomed more than 27 million visitors overall that year. Several visitors expressed disappointment at the closure during the summer travel season.

A D.C. " Given the fencing, independent confirmation of the gash size was not possible on Monday.