{"id":5491,"date":"2026-07-11T18:34:47","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T18:34:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=5491"},"modified":"2026-07-11T18:34:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T18:34:47","slug":"trumps-dc-beautification-push-navigates-troubled-waters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=5491","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s DC beautification push navigates troubled waters"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n At a ceremony in front of the iconic cascading fountain at Meridian Hill Park in Washington, DC, earlier this month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and top US officials touted President Donald Trump\u2019s efforts to make the city \u201csafe and beautiful.\u201d\n <\/p>

Read more US citizen working in DR Congo tests positive for Ebola<\/a><\/p>\n

\n But less than two weeks later, the historic park that served as Hegseth\u2019s backdrop has become the latest hurdle President Donald Trump is facing in his mission to give the nation\u2019s capital a facelift, as the water in the 13-basin fountain has turned into a murky, rust-orange hue.\n <\/p>\n

\n The fountain had been devoid of water for seven years before the Trump administration repaired and reopened it in May in a $4 million renovation that delighted residents. After the renovation, residents flocked to the park in the evenings, sitting on the steps bordering the fountain, having picnics, and reading books.\n <\/p>\n

\n But this week, parkgoers observed a brown color overtaking the reservoirs.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cIt looks like mud,\u201d said James Langan, a New York resident visiting DC.\n <\/p>\n

\n The fixture at Meridian Hill Park is one of nine fountains being returned to serviceunder Trump\u2019s March 2025 executive order calling to make DC \u201csafe and beautiful\u201d coinciding with preparations for the nation\u2019s 250th anniversary. When CNN visited the nine fountains scattered across DC this week, only one appeared to still be inoperable, and two had brown-colored water.\n <\/p>\n

\n Some residents and visitors said they welcomed running water at Meridian Hill Park, despite the coloring.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cWhenever I\u2019d like come here before, I was kind of disappointed that the water was never on, and it was kind of like overrun with trash,\u201d Washington, DC, resident Jedi Sworobuk told CNN. \u201cI think it\u2019s nice to have, especially in the heat in the summer.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n The Interior Department told CNN on Tuesday evening that the brown water at Meridian Hill Park is \u201csediment as a result of the reopening of two water lines that had been out of service for some time,\u201d noting it expected the water to run clean in the next 24 to 36 hours.\n <\/p>\n

\n A CNN crew observed workers cleaning the cascading basins on Wednesday, following social media buzz about the browning water.\n <\/p>\n

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\"Meridian<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n
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\nMeridian Hill Park fountain waters in Washington, DC, on Saturday, July 11.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
Joe Wagener\/CNN<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n On Saturday, the pools of water were still murky, but less orange.\n <\/p>\n

\n The Interior Department did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday on the state of the Meridian Hill fountain, and on the fountains at the General Philip Sheridan statue in Sheridan Circle, which were inactive.\n <\/p>

Read more Martha Lillard, last US polio patient using iron lung, dies at 78 in Oklahoma<\/a><\/p>\n

\n The fountain at Meridian Hill Park caught the attention of Alexandra McKenna, a London resident who traveled to DC and made the park a stop on her trip.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cIt looks pretty gross,\u201d McKenna said, laughing.\n <\/p>\n

\n McKenna pointed to the water at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which has also generated headlines in recent weeks, adding, \u201cIt\u2019s kind of a thing going on in Washington at the moment.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n The Meridian Hill Park scramble comes after the Reflecting Pool saga dominated conversations in Washington. After Trump called for the pool\u2019s renovation in April, the more than $14 million project has taken on a lifecycle of draining, painting, filling and peeling.\n <\/p>\n

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\"National<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n
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\nNational Guard soldiers wait for the arrival of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for a DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force ceremony at Meridian Hill Park in Washington, on Thursday, July 2.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
Manuel Balce Ceneta\/AP\/File<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n Trump alleged vandals gashed the pool\u2019s lining. In recent weeks, at least three people were charged with destruction of property after allegedly removing pieces of blue paint from the pool, and a former Olympian was indicted on that allegation. The canoeist, David Hearn, pleaded not guilty.\n <\/p>\n

\n During a May Cabinet meeting, Trump said most of the fountains were in final stages or fixed.\n <\/p>\n

\n In his recent July Fourth address on the National Mall, Trump declared the city \u201csafe, gleaming, and beautiful again,\u201d though some beautification projects, like the Reflecting Pool, appear to be in progress.\n <\/p>\n

\n The National Park Service said work to restore and rehabilitate historic landscapes will occur in phases, noting that the public may experience closures or limited access at certain sites.\n <\/p>

Read more Democrats warn of a Trump election takeover. What\u2019s really happening?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At a ceremony in front of the iconic cascading fountain at Meridian Hill Park in Washington, DC, earlier this month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and top US officials touted President Donald Trump\u2019s efforts to make the city \u201csafe and beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5486,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nTrump\u2019s DC beautification push navigates troubled waters - Relocation Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=5491\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trump\u2019s DC beautification push navigates troubled waters - 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