Firm that worked on past Reflecting Pool renovation passed on Trump project after deeming it 'unfeasible' [View all]

https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/25/politics/reflecting-pool-firm-renovation-unfeasible

Exclusive: Firm that worked on past Reflecting Pool renovation passed on Trump project after deeming it ‘unfeasible’
By Abigail Roedersheimer, Isabelle Khurshudyan, Sunlen Serfaty

Several months before blue strips started floating to the surface of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a company involved in its last renovation more than 15 years ago was approached with an opportunity to do this remodel as well. But the company said no.

Specifically, it balked at two requirements – the Trump administration wanted it done by July 4, and the pool bottom had to be blue, according to two employees with the New Jersey-based Sika Corporation, which provided the concrete construction and sealing products for a 2010 renovation project to the Reflecting Pool.

According to the two employees, who spoke to CNN on the condition they not be identified, both demands made the job “unfeasible.”

Ultimately, Rhino Linings, which is most popular for its truck bed linings but also says on its website it can be used for water facilities, was chosen to provide materials for the latest Reflecting Pool renovation.

Now, less than a month after it was applied, the material from the bottom of the Reflecting Pool appears to be peeling off, causing a massive Washington brouhaha, with President Donald Trump blaming radical left vandals and contractors promising to fix what they say are isolated problem areas. Meanwhile, algae has turned the water various shades of green despite the renovation that was supposed to clear that up.

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