Reflecting Pool Liner Was Damaged With a Knife or Razor: National Park Service

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in the nation’s capital was damaged by a knife or razor, a federal official said on June 24.

The National Park Service found damage to the reflecting pool earlier in June, “including a caulk over the foam sealant that was cut with a sharp knife or razor and destruction of delaminating surface material,” Frank Lands, deputy director for operations for the service, said in a court filing.

Additionally, around 70 tops of fence posts were thrown into the pool, he said.

Workers have been renovating the reflecting pool, which is about 2,000 feet long, 160 feet wide, and three feet deep, ahead of the planned celebration on July 4 for the 250th anniversary of the country’s independence.

President Donald Trump had said recently that he inspected the pool and that the bottom of the pool was cut and lifted from the surface with “a very sharp knife or razors,” leaving jagged and uneven edges.

Federal prosecutors have arrested multiple people who allegedly vandalized the pool, and issued citations to others.

The U.S. Park Police on Wednesday released video footage of what appeared to be a person bending down at the pool and moving their arm back and forth. The police said the individual, who was captured on video on June 19, was wanted for destroying government property.

People with information were directed to contact the police tip line at 202-379-4877.

Lands said in a court filing that the National Park Service plans to drain the pool following the July 4 celebration “to conduct repairs, including assessing and repairing any damage to the lining.”

The filing came in a case lodged by an organization called the Cultural Landscape Foundation, which has asked the federal court in Washington to order the Trump administration to stop renovation of the pool because officials allegedly have not complied with preservation and environmental laws.

“The law is straightforward: Before the government may alter one of the nation’s most sacred spaces, Congress requires the government to conduct a deliberate review that allows key stakeholders and the public the ability to weigh in. But Defendants decided to forgo that well-trod path in this case,” the lawsuit stated.

The group asked the judge overseeing the case to enter an emergency restraining order, but later withdrew the request.

It said in a June 22 filing that there are issues with the renovation project, including parts of the pool peeling away, and called on the judge to expedite a briefing schedule.

That prompted the declaration from Lands.

Officials previously said that a previous renovation project did not stop water leaks and that the reflecting pool has lost 28.8 million gallons per year due to leaks since 2021, in part because of deteriorated concrete on the bottom.

The National Park Service planned and began executing the new renovation in response to an order from Trump that directed agencies to beautify the nation’s capital, they said.