We Pulled a Boat Ladder Out of Deer Creek Reservoir
On September 12, four of us suited up at Deer Creek Reservoir and went looking for trash in the Rainbow Bay area. Me, Blake Welch, Tony Nitrox and Cami Tucker of Deepwater Conservation. One more of our crew shot video from shore.
We came up with about 40 pounds of it, by our estimate.
Me coming out with the ladder. Blake behind me with the paddle he found.
What Came Up
Visibility was low, so we swept the bottom with our lights and worked slow. Everything came out by hand:
An old boat ladder. I found that one.
A paddle. Blake found that one.
A Bluetooth speaker.
Fishing poles.
Beer cans.
One golf ball.
Most of it looked like it came off boats.
The haul, laid out after the dive.
We Barely Scratched It
We covered one small area. The Rainbow Bay area is heavily littered, and my read is that a full day there would pull out a lot more than 40 pounds.
This was a crew dive, four certified volunteers on our own time, not one of our official cleanups and not a recovery. It showed us where the work is.
Thanks to XS Scuba for the collection bags we filled.
Watch It
We cut the whole morning into a one minute video, from gearing up in the parking lot to the ladder coming up off the bottom.
Watch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/eJTBekorGW4
The vertical cut: https://youtube.com/shorts/6BBf8IytnC0
More on the lake itself is on our Deer Creek Reservoir page.
If You Want In
You do not need a certification to help, and you do not need to get wet.
Come to a cleanup. Dates go up on our website as they are confirmed.
Report something. If you have seen trash, a vessel, or a vehicle on the bottom of a Utah lake, tell us at fathomrestoration.org.
Donate. It helps get more volunteers in the water.
Fathom Restoration is a disabled-veteran-led Utah 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to lake cleanup and the recovery of submerged vehicles, vessels, and debris from Utah's lakes and waterways. Donate / Volunteer / Report a vehicle at fathomrestoration.org.
