Fountain Trump promised to ‘beautify’ turns brown

www.telegraph.co.uk

Water feature reopened in May after seven years but is now discoloured by sediment from long-unused pipes

A fountain restored as part of Donald Trump’s drive to beautify Washington DC has turned a murky shade of brown two months after it was reopened.

The Cascading Fountain in Meridian Hill Park is one of a series of landmarks Mr Trump has highlighted as part of his campaign to make the US capital “safe and beautiful”.

In May, the Trump administration released footage showing clear water flowing through the fountain for the first time in seven years.

When The Telegraph visited the fountain on Wednesday, the water was discoloured and the lower part of the fountain was closed off and being renovated by workmen. A sign described a “planned final phase of restoration activities”.

Local resident describes murky water at Meridian Hill Park as 'a pretty good metaphor' for the administration's 'hollow displays' — Local resident describes murky water at Meridian Hill Park as ‘a pretty good metaphor’ for the administration’s ‘hollow displays’ Credit: Natasha Leake/ The Telegraph

The National Park Service said that the discolouration was caused by sediment released after long-disused water lines were brought back into service.

“The brown water is a result of the reopening of two water lines that had been out of service for some time,” a spokesman told City Cast DC. “The National Park Service continues to fine-tune the fountain’s operations.”

The fountain is the latest in a line of setbacks in the Trump administration’s attempt to restore Washington’s landmarks and make DC a more “beautiful” place.

In April, Mr Trump ordered the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to be painted “American flag blue” before the Fourth of July celebrations, declaring that it would “look far more beautiful than it did in 1922, when they built it”.

In May, the Trump administration released footage showing clear water flowing through the fountain for the first time in seven years

Days before the event, however, the paintwork appeared patchy and peeling while algae infested the water. Now, following the July 4 celebration, the pool is being drained for the second time in three months.

The Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts, meanwhile, remains wrapped in tarpaulin and scaffolding after a judge blocked Mr Trump’s attempt to rename the institution after himself.

Visitors at Meridian Hill Park, which is also known as Malcolm X Park, said they were surprised by the fountain’s appearance.

“It’s a little shocking because this park only recently reopened the fountains,” Amy Chao, 27, who lives in Washington, told The Telegraph. “It’s kind of crazy that it’s already turning brown. It doesn’t look good.”

A sign in the park describes a 'planned final phase of restoration activities' — A sign in the park describes a ‘planned final phase of restoration activities’ Credit: Natasha Leake/ The Telegraph

Another visitor was more blunt. “It is brown,” he said.

David Holman, a 27-year-old filmmaker from Washington, said he remembered the fountain looking much cleaner, describing Mr Trump’s attempts to make it clean as a “hollow display”.

“As I walked up today, I noticed that it was different,” he said. “I remember this not looking nearly as brown. It could look a little bit more kept up.”

He added that Mr Trump “cares about optics and cares about his legacy even more than most presidents”.

“It seems like a pretty hollow display,” he said. “It’s a pretty good metaphor for a lot of displays that have been made by this particular administration.”

A National Park Service spokesman said: “Although the Meridian Hill Cascading Fountain reopened in May, the National Park Service continues to fine-tune the fountain’s operations.

“The brown water is sediment as a result of the reopening of two water lines that had been out of service for some time. We expect the water to once again run clean in the next 24-36 hours.”

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