Photo by philliefan99

For far too long it wasn't so much a reflecting pool, but rather a murky pool full of goose poop. After that, it was an empty construction site, marring the otherwise iconic views from the Lincoln Memorial to the World War II Memorial and Washington Monument.

But if all goes to plan, by this weekend the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool will once again be full of water, capping off almost two years worth of construction on the site. According to the Post, the $34 million construction project sought to make the fix the aging pool, which opened in 1922:

It has been almost completely rebuilt and slightly redesigned. It is shallower, needs less water and is more aesthetically pleasing, with a tinted bottom to make it more reflective.

 

It employs a new water supply system in which its water will for the first time be drawn from the Tidal Basin — not from city reserves — and be cleaned and recirculated. The old pool could not circulate its often-stagnant water.