By every conceivable measure, you should never go swimming in one of the rivers surrounding Manhattan. And while cleaning those entire bodies of water might be a lost cause, there are some people attempting to make it possible to take a dip in the East River without contracting a terrible disease. Plus, they’re getting some help from Heineken and Tribeca Studios in promoting the possibility.
The idea is called Plus Pool and it is quite literally a plus sign-shaped pool floating in the middle of the river off of Manhattan or Brooklyn. A group of local architects and designers came up with the idea a few years back and have been testing out the design since 2010.
The free resource would allow up to 2,800 swimmers at any time. The water inside the pool would not be separate from the river water but filters out all of the bad stuff that you’d rather not come into contact with. The pool could be situated in any number of spots around the city, including an area between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges to a spot just off Brooklyn Bridge Park in the Dumbo neighborhood.
Heineken has put their marketing muscle behind making this pool happen, but they’re not exactly stepping up to fund it just yet. While the project is expected to cost around $20 million, the beer company is only ponying up $100,000 so long as 100,000 people sign a petition saying they want the pool.
As for where the rest of that money is going to come from, donors can purchase a personalized tile for the pool while they await potential grants and subsidies from NYC and wealthy backers.
It’s certainly a cool idea and seems possible, especially considering one of the backers was also involved in the creation of the highly successful High Line park project, but it remains to be seen if the support and money are there to make it happen.
The campaign began in April and so far, only 6,000 people have signed the petition. At the end of the day, you’re still going to be swimming in the East River, even if it’s a filtered version. That’s a tough sell for New Yorkers raised to know better.
