The sediment is waterlogged and unstable.

Objects that have been supported by the surrounding matrix lose that support the moment excavation begins.

Waterlogged wood, waterlogged bone, waterlogged textiles are extraordinarily fragile — they can appear structurally intact while actually being held together only by the water within them, and they can disintegrate rapidly when they are exposed to air and allowed to dry.

The Windover team developed methods that combined dewatering — pumping water out of the excavation area to allow access — with careful wet-screening and the rapid stabilization of recovered objects.

They worked in shifts in the dewatered sections of the pond, excavating in the peat with trowels and their hands, removing material carefully and keeping the recovered organic materials wet while they were processed and documented.