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Melisha Kumar and Kevin PhillipsThe National Mall Reflecting Pool was originally constructed in the 1920s without adequate underground support and over time it sank about a foot into the marshy soil of the National Mall. This settling caused severe cracking and leaked roughly 500,000 gallons of water per week. From 2010 to 2012 the Obama administration drained the Reflecting Pool and spent $34 million dollars to fix the structural issues including:1) Crews drove over 2,100 50-foot timber pilings into the ground to permanently prevent the pool from sinking.2) The old asphalt and tile bottom was torn out and replaced with a reinforced concrete basin and modern waterproofing.3) A tinted bottom was added to enhance the reflective mirror effect of the Washington Monument.4) The pool’s water supply was shifted from the city's chlorinated potable supply to the fresh water Tidal Basin.5) A new circulation and ozone-based filtration system was installed.This did not work and within weeks of reopening in 2012, severe algae blooms took over, forcing the NPS to drain and clean the water again. Over the following years, leaks and the shallowness of the pool continued to cause green water and water loss.In 2026 the Trump.administration spent $13.8 million dollars and two months to address these ongoing issues with the following:1) Crews used sophisticated rubber sealants to patch leaking joints between the pool's concrete slabs and waterproof the slab bottom.2) Workers power-washed, steam-cleaned, and fumigated the granite pool, removing over 10 dumpsters of accumulated garbage and graffiti.3) The shallow basin's gray concrete bottom was painted a deep blue shade dubbed "American flag blue."4) The outer walking ring surrounding the perimeter was sandblasted to improve its appearance.Here's pictures taken one month after the 2010-2012 project completion and pictures from today with refill in progress. Hopefully this resolves the longstanding problems.