The Department of Justice has filed court documents accusing vandals of cutting caulk seams and tossing fence posts into the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool even as the water briefly returned to a bright blue after cleaning.National Park Service crews and US Park Police are vacuuming, applying chemical treatments and preparing to drain the pool after Independence Day for permanent repairs while officials collect evidence.Atlantic Industrial Coatings used a Rhino Linings polyurea finish under two no-bid awards that pushed the job toward $14.7M–$16M, and Sika Corporation told officials it could not meet the compressed schedule.Engineers say the polyurea product and the pool's expansion joints were a poor match,
Rhino Linings acknowledges localized finish separation, several people including
David Hearn have been arrested, and Representative
Robert Garcia has criticized the contracting.