Park Service official says Reflecting Pool liner was cut

A senior National Park Service official said the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was damaged with “a sharp knife or razor,” offering the first public court filing to support claims that vandalism contributed to problems at the newly renovated Washington landmark.

Frank Lands, the deputy director for operations at the National Park Service, made the statement in a filing this week in a lawsuit brought by the Cultural Landscape Foundation against the Interior Department over President Trump’s renovation of the pool.

“On June 9, 2026, after the rehabilitation project was substantially complete, the U.S. Park Police responded to an NPS report of damage to the reflecting pool, including a caulk over the foam sealant that was cut with a sharp knife or razor and destruction of delaminating surface material,” Lands said in the filing. “In addition, approximately 70 fence post tops were thrown into the pool.”

Lands said he had personal knowledge of the facts in his declaration and would be willing to testify in court, CBS News reported. The filing did not make clear what evidence the National Park Service has to support the damage report.

The statement comes after Trump blamed unidentified vandals for damage visible after a multimillion-dollar sealant project at the pool. CBS News reported the project cost $14.7 million, while The Guardian reported it cost $14.2 million. Trump had promoted the work as an effort to turn the pool “American flag blue” ahead of the country’s 250th birthday celebrations.

Within days of completion, the pool’s water turned green from an algae bloom. National Park Service workers were seen using skimmers and adding hydrogen peroxide to improve water quality, The Guardian reported. Large flakes of the blue coating were later seen peeling from the basin and floating on the surface.

Lands said the Park Service plans to begin draining the pool after Independence Day celebrations to make repairs, including assessing and fixing damage to the lining. The agency does not plan to drain and repair the pool before the holiday events.

Trump told reporters earlier this week that evidence would be presented in court of what he described as a 350-foot gash in the pool’s coating. “Yeah, at the right time you’ll see it,” Trump said when asked about evidence. “You’ll see it in court. You’ll see it in court, but all you have to do is call the Parks Department, call the Department of Interior.”

The U.S. Park Police said at least five people have been arrested for alleged vandalism connected to the Reflecting Pool, and five others have received federal citations, according to CBS News. Details of the evidence have not been released.

The Guardian reported that David Hearn, a three-time U.S. Olympic canoeist, was arrested Friday. Hearn denies the vandalism allegation and told The Washington Post that he reached into the water to touch a partly detached piece of blue liner before being arrested on a misdemeanor charge of destruction of government property.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that government documents it obtained showed National Park Service workers had found two cuts in foam between the pool’s expansion joints, but that the cuts were not directly related to the peeling blue coating or the algae bloom. The cause of the cuts was unclear, according to that report.

On Wednesday, U.S. Park Police asked for public help identifying a person in connection with a destruction of government property investigation at the Reflecting Pool. Police said the alleged incident occurred June 19. A video released with the statement showed a person reaching into the pool and appearing to pull something out.