Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool reopens after a rushed liner job peeled and had to be redone

Trump announced in April that the basin would get a new coating in a blue meant to match the American flag. He said the work would need one to two weeks and cost about $1.5 million, with a target of finishing before July 4, USA Today reported. Trouble started soon after the water went back in early June. Algae turned the water green, and pieces of the new liner lifted off the floor.

Crews drained the pool again in July. An inspection paid for by the contractor, Atlantic Industrial Coatings, counted at least 85 failure points in the liner, among them blisters, peeling and cracking. The Washington Post obtained that report, and USA Today cited it. The company acknowledged installation problems and redid the work under its warranty. It said the repairs were finished Oct. 2, and water began flowing back in around Oct. 12.

Justice Department lawyers have conceded in court that the liner came off because the job was hurried, the Associated Press reported. Prosecutors had charged a former Olympian with damaging the pool, then abandoned the case over the summer once they concluded he was not responsible. Trump repeated the vandalism claim in his Nov. 2 speech.

Atlantic Industrial Coatings got the job through a $14.7 million contract awarded without bidding, and added work brought the total to about $16.4 million, USA Today reported. The Interior Department has said the scope also included replacing worn water valves, clearing clogged pipes, fixing leaks and installing a nanobubbler water treatment system. None of the reports say what the warranty redo cost the contractor.