Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Poised To Reopen

WASHINGTON (AP) -- 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 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 has scheduled a public reopening of the pool for Aug. 31.

It was dedicated in 1922, shortly after the Lincoln Memorial was completed.

But the pool went into a steep decline in recent years. It was built on land dredged from the Potomac River and began to sink and leak.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)