The Reflecting Pool sitting between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., has been making headlines for weeks.
Now, alleged vandalism of the pool has resulted in the arrests of multiple people, including a former Olympian.
As part of President Donald Trump’s plan to beautify Washington ahead of the nation’s 250th, the Reflecting Pool was drained of its water and painted “American flag blue.”
However, within days of being refilled, it sprouted algae, the paint has peeled and onlookers have been arrested for tampering with it.
Here’s where things stand:
Draining and painting
The renovation began last month after Trump announced it in April. Officials drained the water and spent several weeks painting — and repainting after graffiti — the bottom of the pool to be blue.
Originally, the pool had a gray concrete basin made of asphalt and tile after construction and opening in 1923. The dark bottom was intentionally designed to create an illusion of greater depth than its 18-30 inches. It color was also meant to enhance the reflection.
Trump said he was inspired by a friend who visited from Germany who said the Reflecting Pool was too dark and “filthy dirty” and “not representative of the country.”
While the painting process was underway, Trump went on an impromptu visit to see the progress.
After weeks of workers painting the basin, the Interior Department and the National Park Service began to refill the water.
The project, to critics, didn’t provide major changes, even as Trump and Interior Department Secretary Doug Burgum celebrated the renovation’s success.
Algae issues
After the pool was refilled, algae once again became a problem.
Green Water Solutions, whose owner donated to Trump in 2020, was tasked with the project and is using ozone nanobubble technology to fight the algae, NBC News reported.
The stagnant water has been exposed to open air and warm weather in Washington and produced green algae, which experts say isn’t harmful or toxic.
Rosalina Stancheva Christova, a professor of aquatic ecology at George Mason University in Virginia, collected water samples from the Reflecting Pool, told NPR that the algae was growing in “excessive amounts” because of D.C.’s “excellent conditions.” She said it could happen every summer, but seems to have been accelerated by the “disturbance of the pond during renovations.”
Arrests and deaths
In recent days, it appeared that the paint was peeling from the bottom of the pool.
When onlookers began noticing the peeling portions of paint, who claim they were not trying to peel the paint but were just touching the paint after it began to peel. National Park Service officers arrested as many as five individuals and five citations have been issued, Trump shared.
Among those arrested was former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn, who told NBC News he was detained for five hours after being arrested for alleged vandalism.
Trump, on Monday, shared online that of the many renovated fountains and statues in Washington, just the Reflecting Pool had been “Vandalized.” He said it was “being taken care of, ASAP.”
“It has been given a 300 foot long gash, chemicals have been illegally placed in the water, and the beautiful new grass field has been destroyed,” Trump said.
In the message, Trump reminded his followers to “please remember” that there is a 10-year prison sentence for the “destruction, or even the attempted destruction, of such things.”
It will be “fully enforced!” Trump said.