Surveyors in Pasco County are now using a robotic watercraft called a “hydrone” to chart the depths of local lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water — a technology shift that’s dramatically cutting the time and labor once required for underwater mapping.

The device, formally classified as an unmanned surface vehicle, looks like a yellow remote-controlled boat but carries a sonar unit and GPS receiver that together generate precise three-dimensional maps of underwater terrain. As it moves across the surface, it continuously records horizontal position and depth readings, building a full picture of what lies beneath.

“In the era of drones and unmanned vehicles, they now have a hydrographic drone,” said Alex Parnes, Pasco County’s surveyor. “You could do almost everything that you can do in any other type of hydrographic surveying with an unmanned vehicle.”

The technology has practical applications for a range of county projects, from assessing how much water a stormwater pond holds to inspecting riverbeds ahead of bridge construction. Parnes said that just as surveyors map land above ground, infrastructure planning often requires equally detailed data about what lies below the water’s surface.

The efficiency gains have been significant. Survey technician Jack Laporte said a job that used to take three days in a traditional boat can now be completed in half a day, with a single operator monitoring the craft from shore.

Pasco County has already completed hydrone surveys at the Perin Ranch Road Bridge and the Grand Boulevard Bridge over the Cotee River. Parnes said the county is hoping to acquire a second unit in the near future.

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