Renovations to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., overseen by the Trump administration, have drawn scrutiny after reports highlighted a persistent infrastructure problem that has not been resolved.

According to documents cited by The New York Times, the system responsible for circulating and filtering the pool’s roughly four million gallons of water depends on a network of underground 12-inch pipes that move water to a treatment facility and back.When functioning properly, this system filters the entire pool every three days.

However, the pipes have repeatedly broken or leaked, with officials noting that their plastic construction can fail under pressure from surrounding soil.When this occurs, the filtration system must be shut down, leaving the pool stagnant for extended periods, sometimes weeks at a time.

Experts warn that if the underlying issue is not addressed, algae growth could return, potentially causing the pool’s blue surface to be obscured by a thick layer of green algae or “murk.

” Despite these concerns, the administration has not yet replaced the damaged piping infrastructure, which experts estimate would require thousands of feet of new material.Officials have indicated that there are plans to address the issue in the fall, but have not provided specific details.The renovation project has also faced criticism due to its rising cost, which has increased from an initial estimate of $1.8 million to $13.1 million.Additionally, the contract for the work was awarded without competitive bidding to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a decision that has drawn scrutiny.

The Trump administration has stated that it does not know the contractor personally, although the company previously worked on a project at one of Donald Trump’s golf courses.The lack of transparency and unresolved engineering issues have fueled concerns about the long-term condition of the historic reflecting pool.