Overview
- The pool was drained, relined with a dark “American flag blue” coating and refilled after a fast-tracked renovation completed in early June, but water turned green and chunks of the new coating began peeling up within days.
- The administration says six people have been arrested and several others cited for alleged vandalism, a claim first reported on Tuesday as crews continued vacuuming and treating the water with peroxide and nanobubble systems.
- Internal reports and contractor statements show key systems were unfinished or malfunctioning: temporary nanobubblers and generators failed at times, century-old circulation pipes were not replaced, and workers found cuts in the foam layer under the liner that may be unrelated to surface paint loss.
- The work used urgency no-bid awards to Atlantic Industrial Coatings and Green Water Solutions and has cost roughly $14–16 million, prompting House oversight letters to contractors and questions about political ties and procurement practices.
- Environmental and preservation concerns are mounting after chemical treatments and a photographed dead duckling, preservation litigation under federal law has been filed, and officials say full pipe repairs are planned for the fall but timing and final costs remain unresolved.