A preservation group has filed a lawsuit seeking to stop President Donald Trump’s renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

The Cultural Landscape Foundation filed the complaint on May 11 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, arguing that the Trump administration failed to comply with federal preservation and environmental laws while moving forward with changes to the historic National Mall landmark. The nonprofit is also requesting an emergency order to pause the project immediately.

Trump said on April 23 that the Reflecting Pool will be coated in “American flag blue.” The Reflecting Pool is “in terrible shape,” he said, noting that it had been leaking “like a sieve for many years.” The 2,028-foot-long water basin was opened to the public in 1923.

The administration looks to complete the project by July 4 for the celebrations of America’s 250th anniversary.

The lawsuit states that the basin’s dark gray color “was not incidental to the design. It was the design.”

The complaint alleges that the Interior Department violated Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, a 1966 law requiring federal agencies to assess how projects may affect historic properties. The Reflecting Pool is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the National Mall Historic District.

Under Section 106, agencies must consult with interested parties, including preservation experts and nonprofit groups with relevant expertise, before making significant changes to historic sites. The lawsuit accuses the administration of failing to conduct that consultation process.

The foundation also alleges that the administration violated the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires federal agencies to review the environmental impacts of major projects before construction begins.

According to the nonprofit, the proposed renovation would fundamentally alter the appearance and purpose of the Reflecting Pool.

The nonprofit said the resurfacing will significantly and irreversibly change the Reflecting Pool basin’s distinctive gray, colorless appearance. While the historically dark-tiled basin produced the deep reflective quality highlighted in the 1999 Cultural Landscape Report, the bright blue coating will substantially reshape both the visual identity and the visitor experience of the pool and the surrounding Lincoln Memorial grounds, they said.

“The new coloration will cause the pool to resemble a large swimming pool rather than the reflective civic landscape it was designed to be, distorting the experience of the site for the millions of visitors who come to it each year,” it continued.

In a statement, the Interior Department defended the project.

“President Trump has done more to make our nation’s capital a shining beacon than any other president in the history of this country,” a department spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email.

“The National Park Service chose the best company to expedite the repair of the iconic Reflecting Pool ahead of our 250th celebrations.”

Trump first announced on March 31 that he was working with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to clean up the pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, which he said was “absolutely filthy” and should have been cleaned during the Biden administration.

The site has become iconic for hosting historic American gatherings since its opening in 1923 as part of architect Henry Bacon’s design for President Abraham Lincoln’s memorial. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963 was delivered to 250,000 people at the site, and it has since held numerous other historic events.

The pool stretches 2,030 feet long and 167 feet wide, holds about 4 million gallons of water, and is 30 inches deep at the center.

Aldgra Fredly contributed to this report.