Why swim in the river, when you can swim in a pool floating on it?
That’s exactly what + POOL, a New York-based organization that advocates for equitable access to its surrounding waters, plans to do. As soon as 2025, New Yorkers near the East River could have a futuristic floating pool in the waters off Pier 35.
The project was first conceived in 2010, but was officially approved by the city in 2021, according to the New York Post. With the intention to return public swimming spaces to its residents, the project has made incredible progress over the last few years.
“Through innovative solutions like + POOL, we are providing children and their families with safe spaces to swim in New York City,” says Governor Kathy Hochul in a statement to NBC New York.
+ POOL, or Plus Pool, is designed as four pools in one; a kid’s pool, a sports pool, a lap pool and a lounge pool. The four different sections will line up to create the shape of a plus sign, but the possibilities are virtually endless. 
“Each section can be used independently to cater to all types of swimmers,” says the organization on their website. “It can be combined to form an Olympic-length lap pool, or opened completely into a 9,000 square foot pool for play.”
But how does it work? Where does the water come from?
Think of it like a Brita filter. + POOL filters the river water within its walls, where it will remove bacteria, contaminants and odors. What’s left behind is clean, safe and swimmable water that meets state and local standards.
The process has been long, but the organization has reached a point of near-certain optimism.
“We’ve worked with engineers at Arup to study the structure, mechanics, and filtration systems, and ecological consultants at One Nature to maximize + POOL’s benefit to the environment,” they say on their website. “Now, we’re going to pilot the filtration system in the summer of 2024. Once we have the green light, we intend to invest in the full build out of + POOL and other ways to scale safe access to our waters for swimming.”
With a snazzy design and a new way of looking at public pools, + POOL is on its way to opening day in just a few years.
