Water was flowing back into the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after a weeks-long resurfacing and repainting project — and many visitors said the finished basin looked much the same as before. The work, ordered by President Trump and described by him as making the pool “American flag blue,” drew attention and controversy while it was underway.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum shared video of water bubbling up through a grate on the darkened pool floor as the basin began refilling. By midmorning the 2,028-foot pool had collected a narrow stripe of water down the center, enough to mirror the Washington Monument. Workers continued refilling under a hot sun; one stood in the shallow water guiding a hose. Ducks and passersby returned to the site, and tourists, joggers and cyclists paused to watch and photograph the process.
Onlookers offered varied descriptions of the new color. Some said the pool still looked gray or even black, not the vivid bright blue that early renderings and initial coats of paint had led some critics to expect. “The more water it fills, the more similar it looks,” said Luisa Córdoba, a D.C. runner who checked the pool daily during the work. Others said the change might be more noticeable once the basin is fully refilled, but many agreed the pool already looked cleaner.
The administration framed the project as more than cosmetic. Trump has complained about the pool’s condition for months, citing leaks and debris; he said crews sealed crevices in the stone, removed 12 truckloads of trash and that the resurfacing would last decades. It is not clear whether the work addressed long-standing broken pipes that have required costly refills in the past.
The resurfacing took longer than Trump’s initial prediction of “a week or two.” The Department of the Interior had told reporters in late April the work would take closer to a month, and the pool was closed for several weeks while crews stripped and recoated the basin. Midway through the project, the nonprofit Cultural Landscape Foundation sued to halt the work, saying required historic-preservation reviews were bypassed; the administration informed the court this week that the resurfacing is complete, and a judicial decision had not been issued before refilling began.
Cost and funding have been focal points of criticism. Trump cited a $2 million price when promoting the project, but Interior Department records obtained by The New York Times show a $13.1 million contract with Atlantic Industrial Coatings, the Virginia firm picked for the job. A sign on the construction fence, on National Park Service letterhead, told visitors the improvements were being paid for with “your fee dollars,” but it has not been made clear how much of the cost will come from park fees, endowments or other sources.
When asked about cost and funding, the Department of the Interior told reporters it has “many funding sources available to spend on deferred maintenance.” In an emailed statement, an unnamed Interior spokeswoman contrasted the current administration’s reliance on user fees and endowments with prior stimulus-funded renovations, noting past administrations used large federal recovery dollars for park projects. The two-year renovation of the reflecting pool that concluded in 2012 was funded in part by a $34 million Obama-era stimulus allocation.
Recent reporting has also highlighted larger reallocations of park fee revenue. The Washington Post reported this week that the administration has diverted tens of millions in national park fees to help finance July 4th celebrations and other D.C. beautification efforts tied to the nation’s 250th birthday.
The reflecting pool work is part of a broader push by the Trump administration to alter and refresh parts of Washington, from proposed monuments such as a triumphal arch to smaller interventions like new statues, fountain restorations and trash-can upgrades. Much of that activity is being accelerated ahead of America 250 celebrations around July 4, and some projects have used National Guard personnel deployed in the city.
Local reaction is mixed. Some residents and visitors welcomed the return of water and praised other recent restorations — including the long-awaited reactivation of the Meridian Hill Park fountains and repairs to the fountain outside Union Station — saying working water features improve neighborhood life. Others questioned the need for the resurfacing or its cost. “It’s kind of sad where our tax dollars are going,” said one visitor. “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” said another.
For now, the pool is refilling and visitors are once again pausing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to take in the view. Whether the resurfacing will reduce maintenance needs and leaks in the long term, and how much the project ultimately cost taxpayers versus other funding sources, remain points of public interest and, possibly, litigation.
