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We've got pretty big news about the incessantly discussed giant floating pool shaped like a plus sign that local politicians have been talking about for years now.
Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams made two big announcements regarding the plan: the pool will officially be located at Pier 35 in Manhattan right next to the Lower East Side and a three-month “water filtration demonstration project” will kick off this month.
The state and the city will join forces and together fund this first round of the +Pool, as the concept is dubbed, demonstration project. According to an press release, the test will help officials gather "the data needed to develop New York City's first water-filtering gloating swimming pool to dock in the East River in summer 2025."
This month through October, a scaled version of the filtration system will be mounted on a 110 feet by 36 feet floating barge moored in the water south of Pier 35. Basically, the trial will help organizers understand how, exactly, the final product should be positioned and how it will work.
This sounds exciting and all, but we will have to see it to believe it. After all, conversations about this unique endeavor have been going on forever.
“New York City’s waterways are some of our most important assets. By exploring the possibility of a +Pool, we are not only building on our historic investments in public pools across the city, but also expanding equitable access to swimming for all New Yorkers, especially our children,” said Mayor Adams in a statement.
As New Yorkers may have noticed, the politician has been focusing a lot of his efforts on water-related programs and activations during his tenure.
Back in September of 2023, for example, the New York City Council passed a comprehensive legislative package aimed at improving water safety programs across the city while also expanding access to public pools. As part of the new laws, the city now offers second graders free swimming lessons.
Back to the floating pool: our fingers are crossed … but we’re certainly not holding our breath.