WASHINGTON– The underside of the newly drained Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has noticeably faded since it was coated with a protective coating in a color President Donald Trump calls “American flag blue” this spring.

An Associated Press reporter and photographer viewed the fenced reflecting pool Wednesday from the top of the Washington Monument. The new liner appears grayer than when the pool was repainted and refilled with water in early June. Debris that had been visible earlier this week after the pool was drained has now largely disappeared, after work crews removed it. Trump’s problem-plagued effort to renovate the landmark has extended far beyond his initial goal of having the Reflecting Pond ready by July 4 for the nation’s 250th birthday.

The president initially suggested his renovations would cost $1.5 million, but the bill ballooned to more than $16 million in June.

Trump had said the repairs would last a century, but within days of the project’s initial completion last month, the water was beset by an algae bloom and pieces of the new liner appeared to lift off the bottom.

Ohio-based Green Water Solutions, also known as Greenwater Services, was awarded a $1.7 million contract to install a water purification system at Reflecting Pool, while Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings was awarded $14.7 million to repaint and waterproof the pool’s concrete floor.

Trump has blamed the collapse on vandals, although critics allege it is due to shoddy repair work.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, whose agency oversees the National Park Service, said that after draining the water and cleaning up debris from the Independence Day fireworks, the plan for the pool is simple: “Repair the vandalism that was committed. Refill it.” I was speaking with conservative podcaster Katie Miller.

Court documents show that the National Park Service informed U.S. Park Police of an incident on June 9 in which a sharp knife or razor was said to have cut through the new pool liner.

Former Olympic canoe racer David Hearn pleaded not guilty last week in D.C. Superior Court to deliberately damaging the reflecting pool. Hearn has said he reached into the pool to examine the peeling sealant and released a chunk when a park worker told him to.

His lawyers and other critics of the Trump administration have derided the case as an abuse of prosecutorial power and contend that he is being scapegoated for the poor job done in fixing the Reflecting Pool.

At least three other people have been charged in the same court with misdemeanors for allegedly removing paint chips from the pool, court records show. All three pleaded not guilty during their initial court appearances.

The work on the Reflecting Pool is just one of several projects Trump has spearheaded in the nation’s capital. Most notably, he demolished the East Wing of the White House to build a $400 million ballroom and plans to build a towering arch. between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.