National Mall Reflecting Pools a ‘Disgrace’ to Advocates and Tourists Alike

“Ew, feathers,” said the dark-haired teen as she approached the Reflecting Pool between the World War II Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall. Her exact sentiment was expressed by many other visitors, young and old, from all walks of life, on the hazy August day.

The Mall has long been considered the “front yard” of the United States. When was the last time you welcomed your friends onto your front lawn and they responded with a contorted expression? This is how visitors, from near and far, are welcomed to the nation’s Capitol and the Mall each day.

The reflecting pools on the National Mall, which consist of the Capitol Reflecting Pool on the east end of the Mall, the World War II Memorial Pool west of the Washington Monument and the ever-popular Reflecting Pool east of the Lincoln Memorial, help greet more than 25 million visitors each year.

In the wake of the fatalities of dozens of ducks in the Capitol Reflecting Pool during the month of July, the condition of the three primary Mall reflecting pools is of increasing concern. The ducks died due to an outbreak of avian botulism, a disease caused by the production of toxins from naturally occurring bacteria in hot water.

“It was pretty nasty,” said Allison Hulvey as she approached the walkway between the crystal clear waters of the World War II Memorial Pool and the feather and algae laden Reflecting Pool.

“At first I didn’t really know what it was, then I recognized the feathers and then I saw the ducks. And I was like, ‘Oh,’” she said.

Hulvey, 18, of Harrisonburg, Va., a first-time visitor to the Mall, said she was impressed with the monuments but not with the pool nearest the Lincoln Memorial.

“Still green – was then and it is now – it hasn’t changed,” said Bill Conovaloff, 61, of Phoenix, who has visited the District and the Mall a number of times.

Conovaloff remembered the scene from “Forrest Gump” in which an eclectically dressed Jenny, Gump’s love interest, jumped into the Reflecting Pool in order to reach Gump, who was participating in an anti-war rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. As Jenny emerged from the water, which appeared to be crystal blue, she had bits of algae stuck to her wet, floor-length, white flowing dress.

A layer of algae? That is the remnant of a national icon? Conovaloff shrugged and added that something was not right.

“Well, I don’t know that you can do much about it, but they need to get somebody in here to clean it up,” said Conovaloff. “A lot of the problem is money.”

The Mall has $350 million in deferred maintenance, according to the National Park Service, which owns and maintains the pools.

The Park Service does bi-annual scheduled maintenance on all pools, said Bill Line, a communication officer for the National Park Service. “We could increase cleaning, but have no plans yet.” Line said. “They could be considered.”

The Capitol Pool was closed for routine cleaning for most of August. Line said the cleaning was unrelated to the duck fatalities.
The design of the Capitol and Reflecting Pools calls for draining, cleaning and refilling, where as the World War II Memorial Pool has a recirculation system. The movement generated by the system eliminates stagnant water, which decreases the potential for algae and debris buildup and increases the pool’s attractiveness.

“Amazing when you spend a lot of money what you can do,” Line said.

“The pools are a disgrace and in a state of disrepair,” said Caroline Cunningham, president of the Trust for the National Mall.
“The Park Service’s reduced budget has impeded maintenance; the Trust for the National Mall and other private organizations’ approach is the only way to get the Mall fixed,” she said.

The newly formed organization was begun by a District resident, who was fed up with jogging on the unkempt Mall and viewing the cloudy Reflecting Pool.

“The goal of the Trust for the National Mall is to make the mall the most beautiful park in the world,” Cunningham said.

Although the National Park Service has a renovation plan in the design phase, Line said that public outreach is necessary in order for the pools to become a higher renovation priority.

“We need to get in our minds the difference between planning and implementation,” said Line of the renovation process for the Mall. He said he thinks a lengthy report – Environmental Impact Statement – will soon be released, but that little will be done immediately.

The petition for an Environmental Impact Statement was made in September 2007. As of Feb. 15, 2008, the first amendment was closed for public comment. The document as has no determined completion date.

“We need to engage the American public,” Line said. “The Park Service has gathered comments from people in all 50 states. People are asking for more restrooms and food options. Comments on the condition and look of the Mall pools are negligible.”
In addition to the Trust for the National Mall’s attempts to mobilize the public, the eight-year-old, non-profit organization, the National Coalition to Save Our Mall, shares a similar desire. Its mission is to educate the public and Congress on the deplorable condition of the Mall.

“The problem with the Mall and its pools is the lack of funding and lack of attention by Congress,” according to the chairman and president of the National Coalition to Save Our Mall, Judy Scott Feldman.

National Park Service funding is provided by appropriations from the U.S. legislature. The 2008 budget for the Mall was about $31 million.

“The problems are two-fold: One, Congress needs to give priority to the Mall through funds. And, two, effective management policies need to be implemented,” Feldman said.

“I think the Park Service has stated that the Capitol Pool and Lincoln Pool have problems. They have different problems, for example, the Capitol needs scientists because of the ducks. The Lincoln is just old and needs to be refurbished,” said Feldman.
Construction on the Capitol Reflecting Pool, which sits over I-395, was completed in 1970. The much older Reflecting Pool near the Lincoln Memorial was built during the late 1920s.

In commenting on the duck fatalities, Line said, “The avian botulism that happened in the Capitol Pool is going on in 50 to 60 other bodies of water in this country – in Ohio, Nebraska and Alabama – their ducks are dying too. We have a fewer number than these places. Avian botulism is a part of nature during the summer months.”

“The National Park Service does a good job of maintaining, conserving and preserving the National Mall,” Line said. “We wish that we could be everything to everybody.”

By September, the Capitol Reflecting Pool was refilled and ducks seemed to be happily swimming in its waters. However, the condition of neither pool has changed. The Reflecting Pool near the Lincoln Memorial has yet to have its bi-annual cleaning and feathers continue to coat the water.

“The Mall is our national symbol and gathering place,” Feldman said. “We expect much better.”