Despite President Donald Trump putting millions of dollars behind renovation efforts of the Reflecting Pool in Washington D.C., the iconic landmark has seemingly just become worse off. The plans to eliminate the algae in the pool has not succeeded and now the new pool liner put in place beneath the water has started to fray and tear, leaving the landmark a little rugged to say the least.
Trump and government bodies continue to argue that the pool's appearance is not the result of poor renovation efforts but rather than vandalism has caused it to fall into disrepair, with the latest development on this front coming from the deputy director of operations for the US National Park Service, Frank Lands, who gave a testimony in a court filing.
As per BBC News, Lands claims that the damage "including a caulk over the foam sealant that was cut with a sharp knife or razor and destruction of delaminating surface material." He also adds that around 70 fence posts were thrown into the pool, but there is no information on when this vandalism occurred and likewise no culprits have been named (so maybe former Olympian David Hearn is safe this time...).
In terms of what's next for the pool, there are plans to drain it once again following Independence Day celebrations on July 4, to "conduct repairs, including assessments and repairing any damage to the lining," as per Lands.