Systems and methods to reversibly span a surface of a waterway

A method, comprising:

• detecting, by a sensor suite, impending boat traffic;
• activating a closing line motor for a closing line to move a pivoting beam from an open configuration to a closed configuration, a floating boom connected to a moored buoy at a first end of the floating boom and the pivoting beam at a second end of the floating boom, a catch bin connected to the pivoting beam such that, in the open configuration, the floating boom directs floating pollutants toward the catch bin;
• verifying that the pivoting beam is in the closed configuration;
• detecting a charge of a battery bank, wherein if the charge of the battery bank is below a threshold, then the pivoting beam remains in the closed configuration;
• if the charge of the battery bank is above the threshold, activating an opening line motor for an opening line;
• and
• verifying that the pivoting beam is in the open configuration.

A method, comprising:

• detecting, by a sensor suite, an impending boat traffic in a waterway;
• measuring, by the sensor suite, one or more weather conditions;
• measuring, by the sensor suite, a flow rate of a waterway;
• determining a desired width of an open configuration of a pivoting beam based on at least one of:
• the detected impending boat traffic, the measured one or more weather conditions, or the measured flow rate of the waterway;
• detecting a charge of a battery bank, wherein if the charge of the battery bank is below a threshold, then the pivoting beam remains in a closed configuration;
• and
• activating an opening actuator for the pivoting beam if the battery bank is above the threshold and the desired width is greater than a current width of the pivoting beam.