RESTORATION

NON-PROFIT and DISABLED VETERAN BOARD of DIRECTORS

FATHOM RESTORATION

What We Do

We recover what others leave behind — submerged vehicles, vessels, and debris bleeding fuel, oil, and acid into the lakes, rivers, and reservoirs that Utah depends on.

RESTORING UTAH'S WATERS

Utah's lakes are poisoned. Nobody is doing anything about it.

0
Vehicles estimated submerged in U.S. lakes & reservoirs
0
Toxic fluids leaked per vehicle — fuel, oil, acid
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Utah lakes, rivers & reservoirs at active risk
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Great Salt Lake restoration funding — $0 of it for vehicles

Every submerged vehicle is an active contamination event — leaching into drinking water, killing aquatic life, and corroding lake floors for decades.

What every submerged vehicle leaks into the water.

A single car releases up to nine liters of toxic fluid into the lake floor. Antifreeze alone — 1.4 ounces is lethal to wildlife. A single vehicle holds 1–1.5 gallons.

Coolant / Antifreeze
5.7 L
Engine Oil
4.5 L
Gasoline / Diesel
~3.7 L residual
Transmission Fluid
3.0 L
Power Steering / Brake Fluid
~2.0 L
Battery Acid
~1.4 L
ANTIFREEZE
Sweet-tasting. Lethal to animals in tiny doses.
ENGINE OIL
Suffocates fish gills. Coats waterfowl feathers.
BATTERY ACID
Disrupts pH. Kills bottom-dwelling organisms.
GASOLINE
Carcinogenic. Enters drinking water supply.

Great Salt Lake — surface elevation, the last quarter century.

The lake supplies the watershed for roughly 75% of Utah. It hit a record low of 4188.5 ft in November 2022 and has only partially recovered since. Every contamination source matters more in a shrinking lake.

4205 4200 4195 4190 4185 Healthy minimum elevation 2022 RECORD LOW 4188.5 ft 2000 2005 2010 2015 2022 2024
Source: USGS Saltair gauge, simplified for visualization. Long-term decline driven by upstream diversion and drought — every additional contamination source compounds the loss.

Who's handling this? Nobody.

Law Enforcement Dive Teams

Under-funded, under-equipped. Focused on rescue, evidence, and remains — not long-term debris cleanup. Fewer than 10 certified divers statewide.

Environmental Agencies

Monitor water quality. Issue reports. Lack any recovery capability, equipment, or operational mandate to physically remove vehicles from the bottom.

Private Salvage Companies

Exist to profit from insurance claims. No interest in pro-bono cleanup. No HazMat certification. No mission alignment. No one is paying them to go deeper.

That's the gap. That's why Fathom Restoration exists.

A full-service recovery operation.

Recovery

Professional-grade extraction of submerged vehicles, vessels, and debris. USCG-certified crews, ROV-assisted location, hydraulic lift systems rated for 20,000 lb vehicles at depth.

Conservation

HazMat-certified containment of all leaked fluids. On-site remediation assessment. Coordination with Utah DEQ and environmental agencies for post-removal water quality testing.

Community

Direct support for law enforcement dive teams. Public water quality reporting. Education and outreach programs. Priority access for distressed families seeking vehicle recovery.

From the bottom to clean water.

01
Locate & Assess

ROV reconnaissance and sonar mapping. Coordination with county sheriffs and lake authorities. Every asset GPS-documented before deployment.

02
Recover

USCG-certified dive crews with hydraulic lift systems rated for 20,000+ lb vehicles. Zero-spill extraction protocol. Full surface team support.

03
Contain & Transport

CDL-A HazMat licensed transport. Sealed containment prevents secondary contamination. Chain of custody documented from lake floor to disposal.

04
Restore & Report

Post-extraction water quality testing in coordination with Utah DEQ. Full incident report filed. Data published to a public database.

The window is open.

Multiple forces are converging right now that make this work — and this moment — critical.

$53M+
Active GSL funding

Maverik, Miller Family Foundation, Marriott Foundation, and Ducks Unlimited committed $30M+ in April 2026 alone. None of it allocated to submerged vehicle removal — yet.

CRISIS
Great Salt Lake emergency

The lake hit record lows in 2022 and has only partially recovered. It supplies water to 75% of Utah. Every contamination source matters.

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Competitors exist

No nonprofit, private company, or government agency has the equipment, legal structure, and operational mandate to do what Fathom Restoration does.

NOW
Law enforcement is asking

Utah dive teams are resource-constrained and actively looking for partners. We fill a gap they cannot. Referral flow on day one.

Nobody recovers what we recover.

Every dollar goes directly into the water — equipment, fuel, certified divers, and the work that actually gets done.

EIN 42-2166469 · Utah 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Pending