October 1, 2026
WASHINGTON (AP) — A liner along the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was cut with a sharp knife or razor this month, causing damage to the foam sealant installed as part of a $16 million rehabilitation project, a top official at the National Park Service says.
The U.S. Park Police responded June 9 to a complaint by the park service, said Frank Lands, deputy director of operations for the park service. Lands made the statement in a court document filed late Wednesday as part of a lawsuit filed by a nonprofit organization to halt the Trump administration's work on the project.
His statement does not say when exactly the damage occurred or whether it was a suspected case of vandalism, and does not identify anyone who might have been involved.
The police report indicates damage to the pool, "including a caulk over the foam sealant that was cut with a sharp knife or razor and destruction of delaminating surface material,'' Lands said. About 70 fence post tops were also thrown into the pool, he said.
A spokesperson for the Interior Department said Thursday that public notification about the damage was delayed because, “at the time of the June 9 incident, the vandalism was under investigation and believed to be isolated. So as not to encourage deranged individuals, we did not announce what we hoped to be an isolated incident.”
Around the same time, park service staff "discovered another incident where fencing around the pool had been forcibly removed and thrown into the pool,'' the spokesperson said in an email.
The department soon noticed that "recurring cases and videos of people ripping at the coating began to circulate. We then knew this was not an isolated incident, but a new trend to attempt to damage the Reflecting Pool,'' the email said.
President Donald Trump and other officials have repeatedly blamed unidentified vandals for peeling paint as well as a “350-foot gash” in the liner and other problems.
The Interior Department said Thursday there have been seven arrests, seven federal citations, and 18 police reports filed. The department did not specify what the charges were or identify anyone cited by police.
Trump pledged to beautify the century-old Reflecting Pool before the nation’s 250th birthday celebrations, draining its water and directing the bottom to be painted a color he called “American flag blue.” But since the site was restored, its water has been plagued by an algae bloom, and pieces of the new coating have appeared to be peeling off the bottom.
His administration faces a self-imposed deadline to complete the renovation before July Fourth.
Trump said Wednesday that “sick people” had used razors and box cutters to slice portions of the lining.
The Park Police posted surveillance footage on Wednesday evening and asked for help “identifying the individual depicted here in connection with a Destruction of Government Property investigation.” The grainy, 30-second video appears to show a person kneeling down, reaching into the reflecting pool, and removing something from the water. Police said it was taken on Friday afternoon.
In his statement to the court, Lands said the parks agency plans to begin draining the Reflecting Pool following Independence Day celebrations to conduct repairs, including assessing and repairing any damage to the lining.
The park service completed more than two months of renovations at the Reflecting Pool in early June. The 2,000-foot-long basin was drained, and a tinted, plastic-like liner was installed to waterproof and protect the concrete pool surface, and the pool was refilled with water, Lands said.
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