The reflecting pool on the National Mall in front of the Lincoln Memorial is about to reopen after a two-year, $34 million reconstruction.
The Washington Post reports that the pool will be shallower, and it will draw its water from the Tidal Basin instead of from city reserves. Also, for the first time, the water supply will be cleaned and recirculated.
The renovation also includes a tinted bottom, sidewalks instead of dirt paths and nighttime illumination.
The National Park Service hopes to reopen the pool to the public by the end of the month.
It dates from shortly after 1922, when the Lincoln Memorial was dedicated.
But the pool went into a steep decline in recent years. It was built on dredged marshland and began to sink and leak.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
