Though NYC’s outdoor public pools have already been open for the season, there’s one that we’re still waiting for that’s about 15 years in the making: the highly-anticipated floating +POOL. And while the pool has finally made a splash in the water, there’s a catch.
NYC’s +POOL project has been in the works for years, and sure, the city is home to many a beach, rooftop pool, and public pool, but none are quite like this.
That’s to say the +POOL will literally float in the East River, allowing New Yorkers to cool off and swim in over 600,000 gallons of fresh, clean, water filtered directly from the river.
Once completed, it will feature four different pools for kids, lap swimmers, loungers, and splashers, filtering more than 1,000,000 gallons of river water each day–using no additives or chemicals–and allowing New Yorkers to “swim” in the river again like decades past without having to wait until the entire body of water is decontaminated.
Last January (2024), NYC Mayor Eric Adams and NY Governor Kathy Hochul announced plans to install, test, and open the pool to the public this year. While the timeline has shifted, a 2,000-square-foot pilot version of the pool is now making its way around NYC.
The pilot pool’s black steel shell made a brief stop in Red Hook, Brooklyn in mid-July before a crane hoisted the 320-ton structure and dropped it into the waters of Port Newark with a splash on July 30th. Fun fact: the crane used was a specialized marine crane once deployed in a secret CIA spy operation in the 70’s.
But no, the pool isn’t ready for swimming just yet.
After being hoisted into the water, the now floating pool was tugged to the Reicon Group shipyard in Staten Island, where it will remain docked for several months during the final phase of development.
Once +POOL receives agency sign-off, the pilot pool will be constructed in the water at the Reicon Group shipyard. This includes installing all below deck components, such as the filtration system, piping, and valves, as well as amenities including lifeguard stands, showers, and decking.
Public swimming will depend on the successful completion of final filtration testing at scale for the pilot pool, which is necessary to obtain permits for the full design and filtration system. Once approved, the team plans to build out the full 9,000+ square-foot plus-shaped POOL, pending additional funding.
So while the +POOL sadly won’t be ready for swimmers to cannonball on in this summer, if all goes well the pool will be installed in the river at Pier 35 in spring 2026 for final testing.
Learn more about the +POOL.
