Construction begins on a floating river swimming pool for New York City
The attraction, called "+ Pool", will measure 9,000 sq ft and be accessible from a walkway by Pier 35 on the East River
Aliver
Construction has begun on a floating swimming pool that will be located in New York City's East River.
The attraction, named "+ Pool", will be anchored by Pier 35, just north of the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, and measure 9,000 sq ft.
Swimmers will immerse themselves in water taken directly from the East River and cleaned via a patented non-chemical filtration system.
It's claimed that around 1,000,000 gallons of water will be processed a day, thereby contributing to the health of the surrounding river.
The pool will be accessed via a walkway connected to the shore, with operators able to reconfigure it "for lap swimming, lounging, watersports, swim education classes, and children's activities", according to a statement.
It continued: "Each configuration can be used independently, combined to form an Olympic-length pool or opened completely into a 9,000 square foot pool for play."
A 2,000 sq ft version of + Pool is currently being manufactured at Bollinger Shipyard in Mississippi.
This will be dry-towed by barge to New York via Florida Bay and the Atlantic coastline for health agencies to examine in May 2026 before the full-size version is installed.
The Managing Director of + Pool, Kara Meyer, said: "The interagency and community collaboration to bring NYC's first water-filtering floating swimming pool to life has been incredible.
"It demonstrates New York at its best - when the people are working together to advocate for change, evolve systems, design solutions, test concepts, and build innovations.
"It's what makes New York, New York."
Trevor Holland, Two Bridges resident and Founder of Friends of Pier 35, said: "I'm proud to welcome + Pool as it begins to take shape on our waterfront.
"This first-of-its-kind floating pool is not only a recreational space but also a powerful step toward environmental equity and public access to clean river water.
"Our community is honored to host this innovation at Pier 35 and excited for the opportunities it will bring for health, education, and connection to the East River."
Once installed, the + Pool will be a throwback to the 19th and early 20th centuries.
In the 1870s, after the civil war, public health officials called for more public baths and created floating pools up and down the New York harbor.
By the 1900s, 40 percent of New Yorkers used the 15 floating bathhouses in and around New York.
However, these floating river pools were closed in the early 1900s due to environmental degradation.
