National Park Service says Reflecting Pool liner cut with sharp blade

Summary

Someone took a knife or razor to the liner at the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool this month, a top National Park Service official confirmed, cutting through foam sealant that was installed as part of a $16 million rehabilitation project. The damage is deliberate and specific: a clean cut consistent with a sharp blade, not the kind of deterioration you'd chalk up to age or accident. Donald Trump had already weighed in earlier in the week, calling it "a 300 foot long gash" and blaming vandals, adding a claim that someone had dumped fertilizer in the water. The National Park Service's account tracks with the vandalism framing on the physical damage, though the fertilizer claim hasn't been independently confirmed by park officials in this reporting. The Reflecting Pool rehabilitation was a major undertaking, and the foam liner system is a key part of what was supposed to make it function properly going forward. Whoever did this targeted one of the most visited stretches of the National Mall, and the damage came just weeks into the restored pool's operation. No suspect has been publicly identified.