Swimming in the rivers of New York is something that its residents show great distrust of. When asked if they would try it, most were quick to answer in the negative. Why? Because of the bodies, dirt and sewage that float around. What they don't know, of course, is that in the early 1900s, almost 2 million residents used the floating bathrooms and that today the company +POOL - a group of four friends - together with the company Heineken intend to revive them. They have already found a way to clean the water and the only thing missing is the new laws that will allow swimming again.
Initially, the idea was very simple: Instead of trying to clean the entire river, why not clean just a small part of it? Of course, this led to some second thoughts with one goal: what if we could change the way New Yorkers see their rivers, simply by giving them the opportunity to swim in them? And so began the effort to create a large-scale floating pool on the New York waterfront, with walls that would filter the river water that would enter through them.
The project raised $$40,000 in just 7 days. With this funding, the first filtration layer was tested in Brooklyn Bridge Park in the summer of 2011. The research was used to approach the city authorities for the first time about this idea, who were enthusiastically receptive.
In 2013, another $1.3 million was raised, and a new filtration method was tested on the Hudson River for six months in the summer of 2014. The effort involved naval architects, builders, marine scientists, and engineers. Together, they were able to demonstrate that the proposed technology is feasible and can filter river water without the use of chemicals.
Today, six years later, the effort continues to make the dream a reality. +POOL has now found a new major partner, Heineken. As part of the company's program for major cities, they have promised to donate $100,000 to the project if +POOL manages to collect 100,000 signatures from New Yorkers who say they will swim in the pool after it is completed.
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