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Contractor blames repair mistakes for damage at Lincoln Memorial pool
Atlantic Industrial Coatings linked the peeling blue coating at Washington’s Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to incompatible chemicals and worker errors. The pool remains closed while work continues under a $14.7 million no-bid renovation contract.
Technical problems in the repair plan and workmanship errors, rather than vandalism, caused the blue coating applied at Washington’s Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to separate from the concrete. Renovation contractor Atlantic Industrial Coatings reached this assessment in a report submitted to the government.
The company described the failure to use enough primer in some areas as “human error.” However, Atlantic Industrial Coatings said the more extensive problem was that two chemical compounds specified in the repair plan were incompatible for use together.
Incompatible compounds caused the coating to separate
The two products were intended to be applied in layers. The upper compound became hotter than the lower layer could withstand, causing the underlying coating to blister and detach from the concrete surface.
The company said it was rare for the two products to be used together in this manner, which is why the outcome was unexpected. The pool was drained after the application error. The renovation will be redone under the warranty, and a smaller team subject to closer oversight will carry out the new application.
The work had been accelerated to make the pool ready for use before July 4, the 250th anniversary of the United States. During this process, Atlantic Industrial Coatings received a $14.7 million no-bid contract. Part of the previously untested approach was designed by the general manager of a golf club owned by Donald Trump.
Blistering also occurred during the new application
In August, repair crews used pressurized water on the pool to remove loose sections of blue coating. They used razors, hammers and pry bars to remove areas that remained attached to the concrete.
New blistering appeared between the layers as the new coating was applied. Atlantic Industrial Coatings stopped applying the hotter compound over the other product. This change in method reduced the problem but did not eliminate it completely.
The contractor later considered another possibility. Droplets of sweat from workers wearing protective clothing in Washington’s summer heat may have become trapped beneath the new coating layers.
Request made to drop vandalism cases
Vandals were blamed for cuts found in the sealant material along the pool’s edge. National Park Service employees had previously reported the cuts to police. However, the contractor did not accept that the extensive peeling of the coating on the pool floor was caused by those cuts.
Earlier this year, the Justice Department charged former Olympic canoeist David Hearn and three other people with vandalism. Prosecutors later asked for the cases to be dismissed. The U.S. attorney in Washington said the Interior Department had misled prosecutors about how much vandalism contributed to the problem compared with the failed repairs.
U.S. President Donald Trump continued to blame vandals for the damage even after the cases began to weaken. In a social media post on August 9, Trump acknowledged that there was “no video or evidence” supporting the vandalism allegation and said contractor errors had also contributed to the damage.
The pool, which Trump said would reopen soon, remains closed. In the latest work, crews removed much of the blue coating and applied a new one while attempting to complete the renovation.
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