Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul made a splash Wednesday, announcing the final location for the city’s first-of-its-kind floating swimming pool.

The water-filtering pool, called + POOL, will find a home at Pier 35, in the waters off Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Adams and Hochul said in a release.

The two elected officials first announced the project in January. At the time, they said the state would spend $12 million and City Hall would contribute $4 million to create the pool.


What You Need To Know

  • The water-filtering pool, called + POOL, will find a home at Pier 35, in the waters off Manhattan’s Lower East Side

  • A filtration demonstration project will kick off at the pier this month, followed by a pilot program in 2025

  • In addition to the floating pool, the city plans to open a recreation center with an indoor pool at Roy Wilkins Park, and an indoor pool at the Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center

“New York City’s waterways are some of our most important assets. By exploring the possibility of a + POOL, we are not only building on our historic investments in public pools across the city, but also expanding equitable access to swimming for all New Yorkers, especially our children,” Adams said in a statement.

A filtration demonstration project will kick off at the pier this month, followed by a pilot program in 2025 that “will help ensure this innovative model can safely provide swimming access for New Yorkers,” the release said.

“Testing will assess water quality and help evaluate the additional requirements recently detailed by New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s protocol for non-traditional recreational water projects and the New York state Department of Health’s framework for novel bathing facilities,” the release added.

The floating pool is tentatively slated to open for testing in the summer of 2025, according to the release. Officials have not yet announced when the pool will open to the public.

In addition to the floating pool, the city plans to open a $147 million recreation center with an indoor pool at Roy Wilkins Park in St. Albans, Queens, and a $141 million indoor pool at the Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, the release said.

“Through innovative solutions like + POOL, we are providing children and their families with safe spaces to swim in New York City,” Hochul said in a statement.