Floating Pool to be Located at Pier 35 

Pier 35 Near Manhattan’s Lower East Side Selected as Final Location for + POOL 

Builds on the Governor’s Historic $150 Million NY SWIMS Investment To Support Pools in Underserved Communities 

Water Filtration Demonstration Project Begins This Month To Help Ensure the Health and Safety of Future Swimmers 

First-of-Its-Kind Floating + POOL Targeted To Open for Final Testing Summer 2025

Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams today announced a step forward in demonstrating the feasibility of a filtered floating pool in New York City waters, which will be located at Pier 35 near Manhattan’s Lower East Side. New York State is partnering with New York City to jointly fund a three-month water filtration demonstration project at Pier 35 starting this August as well as a pilot of the pool for final testing in 2025 to help ensure this innovative model can safely provide swimming access for New Yorkers. 

“Through innovative solutions like + POOL, we are providing children and their families with safe spaces to swim in New York City,” Governor Hochul said. “NY SWIMS is the largest statewide investment in swimming since the New Deal, and we’re increasing access to pools while helping our kids learn how to stay safe in the water.” 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said, “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. Whether it’s investing over $1 billion in capital to build and maintain public pools, opening more pools this summer, or increasing the number of lifeguards at our beaches and pools, our administration is giving New Yorkers additional ways to stay cool as climate change makes heat waves more common. We look forward to continuing to work with Governor Hochul to achieve an equitable vision for swimming in New York City.” 

In January 2024, Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams announced that New York State and New York City would collaborate on launching + POOL, a state-of-the-art swimming facility that will float in the waters surrounding New York City. The State and City are jointly funding the first round of + POOL’s demonstration project starting this August to provide New York City, New York State and + POOL with the data needed to develop New York City’s first water-filtering floating swimming pool to dock in the East River in summer 2025.

This progress update follows Governor Hochul’s historic $150 million NY SWIMS investment to support pools in underserved communities, New York’s biggest investment in swimming since the New Deal. It also builds on the Governor’s continued efforts to encourage all New Yorkers to “Get Offline, Get Outside” – her campaign to help kids and families put down their phones and computers, take a break from social media, enjoy recreation and outdoor social gatherings, and put their mental and physical health first. 

Building Out Municipal Pools in High-Need Areas

Governor Hochul recently announced that up to $90 million from the $150 million NY SWIMS capital grant program was available for municipal pools in underserved communities. Included in the FY25 Enacted Budget and the 2024 State of the State, NY SWIMS offers grants between $50,000 and $10 million to acquire, design, construct or reconstruct facilities, provide major renovations, improvements, and modernization or rehabilitation of swimming facilities and natural swimming areas. First round awards are expected to be announced no earlier than August 28, 2024. 

Helping Kids Learn to Swim

Recognizing that drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1-4 and that climate change will increase extreme heat events, NY SWIMS will build out municipal swimming facilities in high-need areas, connect New Yorkers to the State’s rivers and lakes, deploy pools in urban environments, and invest in State parks and pools. It will also promote initiatives to help more New Yorkers swim safely by addressing the statewide lifeguard shortage, increasing swimming instruction, and increasing amenities at pools and beaches. Learn more about swimming safety at www.health.ny.gov/swimsafe. 

Governor Hochul previously announced a $1.5 million Connect Kids to Swimming Instruction Transportation Grant program. Administered by the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), the Connect Kids to Swimming Instruction Transportation Grant Program will connect New York school age children (pre-K through grade 12) with swimming instruction by reimbursing transportation costs (including parking and vehicle use fees) incurred by eligible entities for travel to facilities in New York State that are operated by State, municipal, and not-for-profit organizations and offer swim instruction for a nationally recognized learn-to-swim curriculum such as the American Red Cross, YMCA or Starfish Aquatics. 

The program allows for grant recipients to be reimbursed up to $45,000 per fiscal year for eligible transportation expenses and there is no matching share required. Applications will be received on a rolling basis. Grant details and guidelines are available on the State Parks website. 

Governor Hochul has also directed SUNY to collaborate with schools, youth and community-based organizations and municipalities to increase learn to swim opportunities across every region of the State. Additionally, New York will incentivize SUNY students who are skilled swimmers to become lifeguards by covering the cost of a lifeguard certification exam, and by giving college credit for lifeguard training courses.