National Park Service Says Knife Or Razor Cut Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Liner

A liner along the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was cut with a sharp knife or razor earlier this month, damaging foam sealant installed as part of a $16 million rehabilitation project, a top National Park Service official said in a court document.

Frank Lands, deputy director of operations for the National Park Service, said the U.S. Park Police responded on June 9 to an NPS report of damage after the rehabilitation project was “substantially complete”.

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Lands said the damage included “a caulk over the foam sealant that was cut with a sharp knife or razor and destruction of delaminating surface material,” and he added that “approximately 70 fence post tops” were also thrown into the pool.

The NPS said it plans to begin draining the reflecting pool following the Independence Day celebration to conduct repairs, including assessing and repairing any damage to the lining.

The court filing repeated Donald Trump’s claims of vandalism, with Lands describing the June 9 damage but not identifying a suspect in the record described by The Guardian.

The Guardian reported that Trump claimed “multiple individuals” had been arrested by US park police for “vandalizing our Nations magnificent Reflecting Poll,” and it also noted that a three-time US Olympic canoeist, David Hearn, was arrested on Friday.

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David Hearn, who denies the vandalism claims, told the Washington Post that after noticing a partly detached piece of the blue liner, he reached into the water to see what it felt like, and he said moments later he was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of destruction of government property.

CBS News reported that Trump told reporters earlier this week that the National Park Service or Interior Department would provide evidence in court of what he called a 350-foot gash to the pool's coating, while Lands said the agency plans to begin draining and repairing the pool after the Independence Day festivities.

The NPS plans to drain the reflecting pool after Independence Day to assess and repair any damage to the lining, and Lands said the agency would begin draining rather than before the holiday.

The Hill described the court filing as the first time the administration offered specifics about when and how the Reflecting Pool may have been damaged after major work on the project was completed, and it said Trump and other officials have repeatedly blamed unidentified vandals for peeling paint and a “350‑foot gash” in the liner.

CBS News said at least five people have been for alleged vandalism related to the Reflecting Pool, and five additional people were issued federal citations, while details of the evidence have not been released.

Fox 5 DC reported that the administration faces a self-imposed July Fourth deadline to finish the renovation, and it said the park service completed more than two months of renovations in early June, including draining the 2,000-foot-long basin, fitting it with a tinted, plastic-like rubber lining, and refilling it.