Trump promised to fix America’s most famous Reflecting Pool for under $2 million. It ended up costing $14.7 million, and the problems started within days‎

Donald Trump, Lincoln Memorial (AP file photo)

The legal battle over the Trump administration’s renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is becoming more complicated. Along with criminal cases against people accused of damaging the landmark, the renovation itself is also facing legal scrutiny.US president Donald Trump announced the renovation plans in late April and said it could be repaired for less than $2 million before the United States marks its 250th anniversary.The renovation was completed in the first week of June. However, the final cost was more than seven times Trump’s estimate, The Hill reported. The work included waterproofing the bottom of the pool, repairing leaking joints and repainting it in American flag blue.

Problems appeared within days

Soon after the work was completed, algae began appearing on the surface of the water, turning parts of the pool green. At the same time, pieces of the newly applied paint started peeling off and floating in the water.

National Park Service members and contractors clear the pool in the Lincoln Memorial (Associated Press photo)

The Interior Department sent crews to deal with the algae using hydrogen peroxide and nanobubble technology. However, the efforts did not solve the problem.Several dead ducks were also found in and around the pool. The Center for Biological Diversity called for an investigation to determine whether the chemicals used during the clean-up, the peeling paint or toxic algae blooms were responsible.

White House blames vandalism

As questions about the renovation increased, the White House blamed vandals for the problems instead of the repair work.Trump claimed someone had poured chemicals into the water and cut a slit more than 300 feet long into the bottom lining.“They went down with probably a box cutter or a very sharp razor of some kind or a knife, and they cut, and then they started ripping it up,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “You know why? Because they’re sick people,” he added.The Trump administration has started criminal proceedings against at least six people accused of damaging the Reflecting Pool.One of them is former US Olympic canoeist David Hearn, a 67-year-old resident of Bethesda, Maryland. A Washington, DC, grand jury indicted him last week on a felony charge of destruction of property.Wayne Carmichael, a biological sciences professor at Wright State University, told PBS News, “It is absolutely impossible that anyone could have inoculated that pool and shown an effect in literally hours. Absolutely a silly notion.”

Questions on renovation

Critics argued that the problems were caused by a rushed renovation. They also pointed to no-bid contracts awarded to Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings and Ohio-based Green Water Solutions, two companies reported to have ties to Trump.Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said on Sunday that the same company would carry out the upcoming repairs. “Thankfully, the vandalism was small. It was, it was bad. I mean, it could cost tens of thousands of dollars to repair, so then it could fall into a felony, felony thing, just like damaging any other government property could,” Burgum said on CNN.The renovation is also being challenged in federal court. The Cultural Landscape Foundation and its founder, Charles Birnbaum, filed a lawsuit in May seeking to stop the resurfacing project. They argued that the work violated both the National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.The complaint added that every day the project continues without following legal procedures, the public is denied information and the opportunity to take part in the review process required by Congress.The Justice Department has told the court that a full environmental review was not needed because officials carried out a streamlined consultation and that the renovation was routine maintenance with only minor aesthetic and environmental impact.