Updated
Updated · abcnews.com · Jul 5
Burgum Defends $16 Million Reflecting Pool Repairs as Vandals Caused 350-Foot Liner Gashes
Updated
Updated · abcnews.com · Jul 5

Burgum Defends $16 Million Reflecting Pool Repairs as Vandals Caused 350-Foot Liner Gashes

3 articles · Updated · abcnews.com · Jul 5

Summary

  • $16 million in Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool repairs has stopped a 45,000-gallon-a-day leak, and Doug Burgum said remaining fixes will cost only a “small number.”
  • Burgum said vandals, not faulty renovation work, caused multiple cuts totaling 350 feet in less than 0.1% of the industrial liner, prompting the installation of more cameras.
  • The Interior secretary called the project a “big success,” saying a new nanobubbler system has cleared the algae problem and left the water “crystal clear” ahead of the July 4 celebrations.
  • The repairs, begun in April under a no-bid contract that rose $4 million above the original price, remain under scrutiny after House Democrat Robert Garcia demanded contractor records by July 8.

Insights

Vandalism or technical failure: What is the real cause of the reflecting pool's multi-million dollar problems?
How did a no-bid contract for the reflecting pool escalate to over $14 million before its immediate failure?