Major milestone alert!! On this very special Friday, The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) issued guidance for “novel beaches” and/or new floating pools to comply with public health standards, emphasizing the interest in, and need for, innovation related to public access to the state’s natural waters. As we have said before, there is no existing regulatory structure to support the build out of what we have proposed (or any free, safe, public access to the river), and so, we have been advocating for a revisit of the NYS Health Code since the beginning. This is a huge win for public access everywhere!  

The coolest part about all this? + POOL has ignited this change in regulation that will support ANY public access project that is designed to meet these standards. Starting last August 2023, we began weekly meetings with State regulatory agencies to advocate for this guidance, which will support local health departments across NYS. We also advised on how these new standards could be practical and approachable for other groups interested in creating and designing systems that open up safe public access to our rivers across NYS.  This guidance aims to assist in evaluating health and safety for novel bathing facilities that don’t fit traditional swimming pool or beach criteria. 

Not only did NYSDOH publish this new guidance, NYS is committed to standing on business – on January 5, 2024, Governor Kathy Hochul unveiled the ‘NY SWIMS’ proposal, committing $60 million in grants to support innovative swimming solutions, like floating pools, for safer swimming in New York’s natural water bodies. + POOL’s ripple effect has catalyzed major policy waves — Governor Hochul’s hefty ‘NY SWIMS’ policy is the biggest plunge into municipal swimming investments since the days of the Works Progress Administration.  (As part of the initiative, + POOL also received $16M to build a section of our project—the lounge pool—to showcase how it meets the fresh standards for “novel beaches.”) This initiative promises to open the floodgates for public access to New York waters, creating exciting opportunities for designers, urban planners, architects, and developers to dream up and green-light projects that make water access a public enjoyment for years to come.