Explore Project Lagoon On Your Own

01 — WHAT PROJECT LAGOON IS

Project Lagoon Overview

Project Lagoon is Space Coast Water Sweep's systematic submerged-debris survey, monitoring, hotspot identification, and targeted authorized recovery program on the Indian River Lagoon.

It exists because most pollution never reaches the shoreline — it sinks. Hidden beneath the surface are abandoned traps, fishing gear, tires, batteries, construction debris, and countless other objects that continue harming wildlife and habitats every day.

Project Lagoon is not a one-time cleanup event. It is a sustained, documented, and verified program that follows a systematic cycle: assign an area, survey, detect, document, verify, map, identify hotspots, prioritize, authorize, recover, process, re-survey, monitor, and report.

Project Lagoon is part of Space Coast Water Sweep. It is distinct from the broader SCWS community cleanup, education, and reporting programs. The future Conservation & Discovery Center may eventually serve as Project Lagoon's integrated waterfront operations home.

03 — SYSTEMATIC SURVEY

Survey Operations

Every Project Lagoon survey follows a planned GPS route within an assigned zone. Assigned zones are drawn from the Adopt a Lagoon Zone program — each zone is an approximately four-mile section of lagoon water and shoreline.

The tracks left behind are proof of coverage. They show which lanes were run, which areas were missed, and where the team has already been. Survey coverage progress is visible on the platform so adopters and the public can see what has been surveyed.

When the team finds something, it is not pulled out immediately. Every discovery receives GPS coordinates, a date and time stamp, photographs or sonar evidence, a debris classification, an estimated size, hazard information, and a verification status.

Rather than sending a recovery crew every time someone sees one piece of debris, Project Lagoon groups targets into prioritized recovery areas. Prioritization factors include debris density, known hazards, storm-related accumulation, environmentally sensitive areas, and operational efficiency.

After recovery, areas are re-surveyed to confirm the target is gone, look for nearby debris, measure the cleared area, and build long-term trends. This is what separates Project Lagoon from a one-time cleanup — the lagoon is monitored over time.

06 — VERIFIED RECOVERY

Recovery Operations

Finding an object does not automatically mean it can be immediately removed. Before anything is recovered, the team reviews the finding, researches ownership questions, confirms whether FWC or other authorization is required, assesses safety, checks for wildlife concerns, identifies hazardous materials, confirms required equipment, plans disposal, and confirms funding and staffing.

Once a finding is verified and authorized, the recovery team goes to work. Today, recovery uses hand tools, hooks, poles, magnets, and grappling equipment. The team lifts, rigs, and transports debris safely back to shore. Every recovery is planned, documented, and executed with safety as the first priority.

The current Project Lagoon operating model does not use volunteer divers for underwater debris recovery. The public should not enter the water to retrieve submerged objects. Recovery is conducted by trained teams using appropriate equipment and authorization.

Project Lagoon is not a derelict-vessel salvage program. Vessel-related observations may be documented and referred to appropriate authorities, but Project Lagoon does not present vessel removal as an operational capability.

After recovery, the team returns to the same GPS survey route to confirm the target is gone, look for nearby debris, and compare conditions. Recovery is not the end of the process — re-survey and monitoring complete the cycle.

08 — MATERIAL HANDLING

Debris Processing

Recovered material is not simply discarded. It enters a controlled process of documentation, inspection, sorting, and responsible routing. The responsible hierarchy is: avoid, reduce, reuse, repair/repurpose, recover material, convert where appropriate, recycle, and responsible disposal.

At the current startup facility, debris processing is manual. Recovered material is unloaded, weighed, photographed, classified, and sorted into labeled rolling bins. Categories include general debris, recyclable metal, organic material, fishing/crab gear, recoverable reusable materials, and hazardous or special-handling materials where encountered.

A floor scale and pallet jack support the process. Recycling and disposal staging areas hold sorted material before it is transported to appropriate facilities. This is a responsible operating preference — not a zero-waste or sustainability certification claim.

09 — STARTUP BASE

Current Operations Facility

Before the future Conservation & Discovery Center in Titusville, Project Lagoon needs a practical inland operations facility in the Cocoa area. This is not a waterfront property, not a museum, and not a visitor attraction — it is a working base for a nonprofit environmental field operation.

The concept is approximately 3,000–5,000 square feet of industrial space with a secure fenced yard, boat and trailer parking, one practical work bay, equipment storage, a small office and data workstation, PPE and safety storage, a battery-charging area, manual debris sorting tables, labeled rolling bins, a floor scale, a pallet jack, and recycling and disposal staging.

The final location, design, and size have not been selected. This facility is clearly distinct from the future Conservation & Discovery Center — it is a modest, practical, non-public operations base.

10 — FUTURE VISION

Future Integrated Operation

Today's small boat and volunteer crew are the seed of something much larger. The vision is an integrated operation with dedicated survey and recovery teams, an operations yard, boat storage, debris sorting, equipment maintenance, data and mapping systems, drone/sonar/ROV capabilities, research collaboration, public education, and hurricane response capability.

This is a future vision — labeled clearly. It shows where the work is going, not where it is today. Project Lagoon may eventually operate from an integrated waterfront operations area at the Conservation & Discovery Center.

Hurricane and post-storm response is an additional capability — not the sole reason Project Lagoon exists. Project Lagoon is positioned as a supporting conservation capability, not a replacement for emergency management, law enforcement, FWC, Coast Guard, county government, or other agencies.

11 — LIVE TOOLS

Data, Mapping & Results

Every observation marked in the field flows into a digital operations system. Smart Reports, GPS tracks, observation pins, Project Lagoon Live, Hidden Waters findings, and Adopt a Lagoon Zone recognition all connect on the same map.

Project Lagoon is designed to track metrics including: acres surveyed, miles of survey track, percent coverage where applicable, observations and detections, debris classifications, debris density, hotspots, recovery documentation, pounds recovered where measured, repeat surveys, trend information, and field/volunteer hours.

These are metrics the system is designed to track — not actual current results. As the program grows, verified data will be published through the live tools linked above.

12 — GET INVOLVED

Public Participation

Public participation is essential to Project Lagoon. The most important thing you can do is observe and report what you see.

A public report does not authorize recovery. Submerged debris should not be disturbed by the public. Project Lagoon observations are reviewed and verified by trained teams. Recovery occurs only when appropriate and authorized. Not every reported object is guaranteed to be recovered.

You can also participate through Adopt a Lagoon Zone — a free stewardship program where you personally monitor an assigned zone, or support SCWS survey and recovery work financially. Volunteers can also register to participate in trained field roles.

13 — SUPPORT THE MISSION

Support Project Lagoon

Every form of support expands what the mission can do. Choose the path that fits your commitment.

SCWS surveys and recovers items as resources, conditions, and authorization allow. A donation does not guarantee complete coverage or recovery.