The Washington Post did an extensive expose walking through what experts believe was a huge flub in trying to “fix” something that wasn’t a problem in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
President Donald Trump sought to make the pool more “reflective,” thinking that if he put some kind of dark liner on the bottom that it would be more efficient. The ongoing problem with the pool, however, is that with people and animals, the pool is always being polluted, either by excretions from birds or bugs and tourists throwing coins in to make a wish.
One pool specialist told CNN, “Well, somebody definitely planted the algae and it was the very first bird that landed in the water.”
Speaking last month, Steve Goodale, also known as “Swimming Pool Steve,” explained, ‘You know, in an open-air environment like this, there’s no stopping the algae from coming. It’s going to be in the water. It’s just, how are you going to deal with it, knowing that it will be expected?”
The experts who spoke to The Post agreed with one of Goodale’s assessments that there was likely an application problem. Issues like poor surface preparation, missed curing windows, contamination, moisture and the rushed timeline of the renovation all likely played a part in the failures.
The deep dive into the shallow pool also said that the polyurea coating, which can work well in water features if applied correctly, can fail badly if the underlying surface isn’t adequately prepared. So, if conditions are off at all, the coating can suffer. The experts quoted in The Post said that coating failures like this are usually the result of several factors piling up at once, rather than one single culprit.
Photos and videos of the Reflecting Pool before it was drained show that the seams where the coating comes together buckle upward.
The Post’s analysis went beyond the experts, however, looking at “seven locations with satellite imagery, photos and videos taken during the renovation process, the analysis found that all of the failures occurred at the seams — lines between two areas that were painted at different times.”
Experts doubted Trump’s claim of “vandalism,” and the administration has not provided any evidence.
An Interior spokesperson said that “the National Park Service team has walked every foot of the Reflecting Pool, and unlike the exorbitant Obama renovation, the Reflecting Pool is now leak-proof. This project was executed after consultation with the Army Corps of Engineers Engineering Research and Design Center and other leading experts who have experience working on the Reflecting Pool.”
The Obama administration-era renovation addressed several issues the pool suffered from for its first 100 years of existence. One is that the pool was sinking into the soft Washington D.C., swamp. The plumbing was also leaking; it wasn’t only that there were cracks in the pool itself. The multi-year renovation shored up the pool and all of the plumbing was replaced, which likely accounts for the cost, the Associated Press said in a fact-check of the administration.
The Interior Department claimed “gashes” are along the edge of the pool on its perimeter expansion joint. That’s where photos and videos show it’s buckling upward. So, the Trump administration’s assertion is that the buckling where the seams are is also the weak point where the coating would be soft enough to be cut.
“After the concrete basin was emptied, cleaned and dried, the Reflecting Pool was painted in sections,” The Post explained the process. “The sections were coated with two products, both made by the San Diego-based company Rhino Linings, according to the imagery, government records, and public statements by the company and contractors. The process began with Rhino 406, a light blue epoxy base coat applied on the concrete to seal surface irregularities and establish a protective barrier. Next, a thick, sprayed layer of Pipeliner 5000 — a dark blue hybrid polyurea — was applied to complete the waterproof membrane.”
Vito Mariano, president of waterproofing company Basecrete Technologies, explained that the goal is to have the coating be “as monolithic as possible” and get as much of it down as possible all at once. That’s also not what happened in the renovation. Applying the coating took several days, which might explain why there are seams.
“Anytime you have a stop [and] go, you’re going to open yourself up to a problem that might occur,” he said.
“They have a window [of time] … to get the next layer down. Otherwise, it’s not going to adhere properly unless additional prep is done,” said Rudy Stankowitz, a pool operations expert.
Michael Bushnell, a retired certified coating inspector for the U.S. Navy, told the Post that if that lining has already cured, they need to sand the edges and cut it at an angle before the new coating can be applied next. Otherwise, it won’t bond correctly.
“If [the seams] are the only place where the failure is occurring, it’s strongly indicative of improper [edge] preparation,” Bushnell said.
Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings scored the no-bid contract that Trump handed over to “fix” the pool. They then hired Oklahoma-based Mid-America Industrial Coatings. The Post quoted its website, which claims their goal is to create “a seamless, protective barrier” for the pool.
Critics of Trump and his project continue to blast him for a “humiliating” failure and call the renovation “botched.” The flub is being used by his foes as a broader “metaphor” for the presidency itself, particularly when it comes to failures like the Iran war.