A decades-long plan for a floating, self-filtering pool in the East River may soon become a reality. Gov. Kathy Hochul recently announced her support, along with $12 million in public funding from the state for + POOL, an Olympic-length pool that would attach to the riverbed off Manhattan's Lower East Side and have the ability to filter 1 million gallons of water per day.
Per Hochul, a “demonstration” version of +POOL will be tested this summer, with an actual pool scheduled to open to the public by summer 2025. Mayor Eric Adams said the city would contribute $4 million toward the project.
The funding is tied into a larger state initiative to build new swimming pools and hire more lifeguards, with Hochul promoting it as a public health investment that will help more kids learn how to swim. If approved by state lawmakers, a $60 million grant program would create 10 new pools in underserved communities, while an additional $30 million would pay for pop-up pools during the summer.
The city’s Parks department will have some level of involvement in the floating pool, however, it would be primarily run by nonprofit group Friends of +Pool.
