Giant Floating Pool In NYC River Coming This Year: Gov

NEW YORK CITY — A giant floating pool is finally coming to a New York City river this year, said Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The long-promised +Pool — a water-filtering floating pool — will be tested during summer 2024 in the water around the city, thanks to a $16 million infusion, Hochul announced Friday.

Swimmers can take a dip in the +Pool during 2025, she said.

"How does that sound?" she said.

The new +Pool pilot — a filtered, floating pool in one of our rivers — will be tested this summer. If successful, it'll go citywide in 2025.

This is a huge opportunity for our young people to access natural bodies of water safely and learn skills they'll use for life.… pic.twitter.com/NohSaGniVa
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) January 5, 2024

The funds — $12 million from the state, $4 million from the city — are part of a wider proposal called NY Swims that Hochul said she'll include in next week's "State of the State."

The wider NY Swims will offer $150 million in grants for communities to build 10 new landmark public swimming pools — an issue that Mayor Eric Adams said will tackle inequality.

Many New Yorkers, himself included, simply didn't and don't have access to pools growing up, he said.

"New York City is surrounded by water, folks, and our young people are not being taught how to swim," he said. "And it's becoming some of the leading causes of death through drowning or the inability to be able to swim."

The +Pool proposal has been floating around New York City for years.

The announcement Friday signaled a pathway forward, but it also lacked an important detail: where the pool will be located.

Past renderings had it placed in the East River, while an NY1 reporter cited sources who said it could go in the Hudson River.

Kara Meyer, managing director for +Pool, referred Patch to the governor's office for questions about the pool's location. Governor's officials didn't respond.

Meyer said New Yorkers can expect announcements going into the summer when the pool is expected to be tested.

"It's a really exciting time because New York's water is going to look a lot different in the next couple of years," she said.