Inside Project Lagoon

Project Lagoon is not a concept waiting for funding. It is already being developed through personal commitment, nonprofit investment, donated resources, volunteers, partnerships, and a long-term plan to build a professional lagoon survey and recovery operation.

The boat, the motor, the conversion work, the field testing, and the early operations are all real. They exist today because individuals and the organization have put their own time, equipment, and resources on the line to prove the model works before asking others to help it grow.

A successful Project Lagoon operation begins long before the boat leaves the dock. Preparation is what makes the difference between a productive survey and a wasted day on the water.

The team reviews the assigned zone, checks access points and water conditions, monitors weather, charges every battery, prepares tablets and cameras, loads retrieval equipment, confirms the survey team, and plans GPS survey routes — all before the boat is in the water.

The current 18-foot boat is being converted from a standard recreational vessel into a practical Project Lagoon field platform. A new motor is being installed. A center-console conversion has been built; installation status to be confirmed. Electronics, equipment mounting, storage, and safety gear are being installed step by step.

Every component is clearly identified: SCWS-owned, personally provided for mission use, donated, being installed, or planned. This transparency is part of the commitment — the public can see exactly what exists and what is still needed.

Every Project Lagoon survey follows a planned GPS route. The tracks left behind are not just a record — they are proof of coverage. They show which lanes were run, which areas were missed, and where the team has already been.

Assigned zones, survey lanes, GPS tracks, and coverage progress are all visible on the platform. Adopters can see their zone being surveyed. Repeat surveys and resurveys after recovery confirm that the work is holding.

Drones add a perspective that no boat can provide. From above, the team can inspect shorelines that are inaccessible by water, document conditions visually, and plan future survey routes. Drone use depends on applicable flight rules, location, weather, and operating conditions — it is a tool, not a replacement for on-water survey.

Current drone capabilities are limited but growing. Future planned improvements include longer flight time, better cameras, and specialized sensors.

This is the heart of Project Lagoon. The water hides what has been lost, dumped, abandoned, and forgotten. Finding it requires more than one technology — it requires a combination of visual observation, multiple sonar types, cameras, and verification.

No single technology finds everything. Visual observation catches what is visible on the surface. Side-scan sonar sweeps wide areas. Down-scan sonar looks directly below. Live sonar shows real-time structure. 360-degree sonar sees in every direction. ROV verification confirms what the sonar found. Together, they build a complete picture of what the water hides.

When the team finds something, it does not get pulled out immediately. It gets marked. 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.

This is the moment a submerged object becomes a documented observation in the system — one that can be reviewed, verified, and eventually recovered.

Public safety principle: See It. Report It. Don't Disturb It. A public report helps SCWS document and map submerged debris, but it does not authorize recovery. Submerged debris should not be disturbed by the public. Observations are reviewed and verified by trained teams, and recovery occurs only when appropriate and authorized. Not every reported object is guaranteed to be recovered.

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.

Administrators verify findings, assign recovery targets, and report progress publicly. The visitor does not need to navigate a database — they see a living map of what has been found, what has been verified, and what has been recovered.

Discovery is only the first step. 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.

This is not bureaucracy — it is responsible operations. Some items require permits. Some belong to someone else. Some pose risks that require specialized handling. Verification protects the team, the public, and the environment.

Prioritization and hotspot identification: Survey teams can continue documenting an area until enough verified recoverable targets are identified to justify a focused recovery mission. 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 multiple debris observations, debris density, known hazards, storm-related accumulation, environmentally sensitive areas, repeated observations, operational efficiency, and agency priorities.

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 for disposal or recycling.

Future capabilities will expand what can be recovered — recovery pontoons with crane or boom systems, work barges, and heavy equipment for larger targets. 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.

Resource recovery and responsible material handling: 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 → RESPONSIBLE DISPOSAL. Recovered material is sorted into general debris, recyclable metal, organic material, fishing/crab gear, recoverable reusable materials, and hazardous or special-handling materials where encountered. This is a responsible operating preference, not a zero-waste or sustainability certification claim.

Recovery is not complete until it is documented. The team captures before-and-after photographs, records the actual recovery team credit, weighs and classifies the debris type, records the disposal or recycling method, logs volunteer and staff hours, tracks recovery costs, updates the map status, and produces a final zone report.

This documentation is what makes the work credible. It is what funders, partners, adopters, and the public can see and trust.

Recovery is not the end. The team returns to the same GPS survey route after removal to confirm the target is gone, look for nearby debris, measure the cleared area, compare conditions, monitor for recurring debris, and build long-term trends.

This is what separates Project Lagoon from a one-time cleanup. It is sustained, documented, and verified — the lagoon is not just cleaned once, it is monitored over time.

Every mission can teach us something about the Lagoon. Over time, Project Lagoon data may help identify patterns and trends that improve conservation effectiveness: debris hotspots, recurring accumulation areas, storm impacts, debris types, recovery trends, areas needing repeat survey, environmental patterns, operational effectiveness, cost and effort per recovery area, and future restoration opportunities. As the system grows, data connections to Currents Through Time, the AI/Data Hub, research partners, university work and environmental reporting may create new opportunities for understanding the Lagoon.

Project Lagoon is not just equipment — it is people. Today, the operation runs on volunteers and leadership who donate their time. As the program grows, these roles will transition to paid positions.

Every role listed here is real and needed. Some are filled today by volunteers. Some are filled by leadership. Some are planned for the future.

Project Lagoon operates at three distinct levels, each with its own cost structure. Understanding all three helps supporters see exactly where the mission stands today, what it takes to sustain it, and what the full vision would cost.

Level 1 is the current founder-led, one-boat operation — real cash expenses, donated equipment, personally provided equipment, and volunteer hours. Level 2 is a preliminary planning range for a sustainable one-boat operation with paid staff and a small inland facility. Level 3 is the full County-scale proposal from the original Project Lagoon prospectus.

Cash expenses are displayed separately from donated or personally provided value. No fabricated totals are published. Every figure is administrator-editable and will be updated with verified amounts as they are confirmed.

This is what exists today — not a concept, not a plan, but real equipment, systems, and capabilities already in service or being installed.

Every item is categorized: In Service, Personally Provided for Mission Use, Donated, Funded and Ordered, Being Installed, or Being Upgraded.

Before the future Conservation and 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, and recycling and disposal staging.

The final location, design, and size have not been selected. The preliminary $48,000 annual facility allowance in the Level 2 operating plan is a planning estimate — the actual amount depends on lease terms, property size, zoning, utilities, insurance, drainage, wash-water requirements, security, and required improvements.

This is a preliminary startup plan for equipping a sustainable one-boat Project Lagoon operation. The figures below are planning estimates — not approved expenses or confirmed quotes. Final costs require facility, insurance, staffing, and vendor quotes.

The startup total excludes the value of the current boat and new motor, which have already been funded or committed. Those items are shown separately in the 'Already Committed to the Mission' chapter.

Project Lagoon is not starting from zero. Equipment, vessels, electronics, and resources have already been committed — owned by SCWS, personally provided for mission use, donated by supporters, funded and awaiting installation, or installed and operational.

This section distinguishes personally provided property from SCWS-owned assets. Each item is categorized, valued when possible, and shown with a photograph or interim illustrative image. Donor recognition is shown only when authorized.

The wish list is what SCWS needs to grow from a small volunteer operation into a sustained, professional lagoon survey and recovery program. Every item has a mission purpose, a priority, and a path to funding.

All images in this section are concept images — they show what the equipment would look like, not what SCWS already owns. Every concept image is clearly labeled.

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.

Hurricane and post-storm response: Normal operations are the core mission. Hurricane and post-storm response is an additional capability — not the sole reason Project Lagoon exists. After a storm, time matters. The system may support post-storm assessment following the flow: ASSESS → MAP → PRIORITIZE → RECOVER → VERIFY. 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.

Project Lagoon is built on participation. Whether you adopt a zone through hands-on stewardship, support a zone financially, help equip the survey team, fund survey technology, support recovery equipment, contribute to a wish list item, volunteer, or become a partner — every form of support expands what the mission can do.

Choose the path that fits your commitment. Every option connects to administrator-approved Zeffy links and existing participation pages.