Lincoln Pool Contractor Blames Own Errors for Damage

Atlantic Industrial Coatings, the contractor that renovated the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, told the Trump administration that design flaws and errors in its own work caused the pool’s new blue liner to blister, peel and detach, according to government documents reviewed by The New York Times. The company cited inadequate primer in some areas and a contract design that combined incompatible chemicals, causing heat-related damage between the liner layers. The findings contradict President Trump’s repeated claims that vandals using knives or box cutters damaged the pool, although an Interior Department spokeswoman continued to assert that vandals had ripped at the coating. The Justice Department previously moved to dismiss charges against people accused of vandalism, and repairs to the rushed, $14.7 million project are underway.