Was the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool drained? Here's the latest
The months-long saga of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovations hit another roadblock recently when President Donald Trump ordered another round of repairs to the iconic Washington DC landmark.
Now that Fourth of July festivities and the 16-day Great American State Fair have concluded, crews have started work on the pool again.
Here's the latest on the reflecting pool and why it needs another round of renovations.
Has the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool been drained again?
Crews began draining the 6.5-million gallon pool on Friday, July 10, setting up another round of renovations by Atlantic Industrial Coatings of Virginia, which did the initial $14.7 million worth of repairs.
By Monday morning, July 13 water was still slowly draining out of the pool.
In a podcast interview with Katie Miller - the wife of Trump's deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller - Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the latest round of renovations would also help clean up debris from the Fourth of July fireworks show.
"Drain the water, clean up the fireworks stuff," Burgum told Miller. "Repair the vandalism that was done. Fill it back up again."
Why is the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool being renovated again?
The pool has been hit by a series of issues since the first renovations began in the spring.
First it was green algae, which appeared on the pool beginning just days after repairs were said to have been completed.
Days later, recently applied paint began peeling off the basin, with large portions floating to the water's surface.
Trump blamed the issues on "vandals" and several people were arrested. Among them is former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, who was indicted by a federal grand jury after being accused of "maliciously" breaking or destroying the pool's lining.
Trump said in June that vandals had cut a 350-foot long gash into the side of the pool, but as it was drained over the weekend, no evidence of the gash had emerged.
Federal officials have not publicly identified where the alleged damage is located or released photographs showing the reported gash. The Interior Department has maintained that repairs are necessary but has not elaborated on the extent of the damage.
It's unclear how long the latest round of repairs will take or when the reflecting pool will be refilled.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Was the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool drained? Here's the latest
Reporting by Mike Stunson, USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect
This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 11:12 AM.