Finally, after more than ten years in the making, New Yorkers will soon be able to swim in a floating pool filled with filtered East River water. +POOL has secured its final location at Pier 35, near Manhattan’s Lower East Side and not far from the original proposed site in the Two Bridges area.

The State of New York, along with the City of New York, is contributing $12 million and $4 million, respectively, to fund the three-month water filtration demonstration project and the 186 sqm prototype of the pool, which was inaugurated in August. This marks the largest state investment in swimming since the New Deal in the 1930s. The pool’s cross-shaped design is flexible and can be reconfigured for lap swimming, lounging, other water sports, and children's activities. When fully opened, the pool will offer 836 square meters of swimming space.

The acceleration of the project has also followed a summer of record-breaking temperatures, during which residents sought relief by flocking to pools, rivers, and the ocean. Unfortunately, this led to another grim record: an increase in drownings. Among the project’s ambitions is to increase the number of New Yorkers who know how to swim.