Utah Waterways
An interactive atlas of submerged vehicles, vessels, aircraft, and structures across 20 Utah lakes.
If we leave the debris in place, this is what happens.
Documented and estimated submerged debris across all 20 lakes, converted to potential water contamination using EPA-published dispersion factors. These are ceiling-case numbers -- what could leak if nothing is recovered -- not measured current contamination.
submerged items
fluid, coolant
potentially at risk
0 gallons at risk -- relative to documented Utah water benchmarks:
Sources: Utah Lake Authority; USBR Bear Lake + Lake Powell capacity tables; Utah Division of Water Resources; US Census ACS.
How we calculated these numbers
Per submerged item we estimate ~20 gallons of polluting fluids (17 fuel + 1.25 motor oil + 1.75 transmission fluid + coolant). Water-at-risk uses EPA-published dispersion factors: 1 gallon of used motor oil can contaminate up to 1,000,000 gallons of fresh water (EPA Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery, used-oil factsheet); 1 gallon of gasoline can contaminate approximately 750,000 gallons at EPA Underground Storage Tank detection thresholds. ATF and ethylene-glycol coolant are estimated conservatively at 750,000 gallons each.
These are upper-bound ceiling figures assuming complete release and full dispersion to detection limits. Actual contamination depends on tank integrity, water chemistry, time submerged, and recovery.
Methodology & disclaimers
What this atlas does NOT model: graduated bracket effects; local taxes; the 2026 OBBBA 0.5%-of-AGI floor on itemized charitable deductions (not applicable here); AMT; NIIT; QBI interactions.
Item counts use the midpoint of the documented + estimated range. Where documented evidence (confirmed incidents) exceeds the estimate midpoint, the confirmed count is used. Confirmed counts include items that have since been recovered. The estimate midpoint is the best approximation of items currently submerged.
Pre-2000 incident records are sparse for most lakes outside Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake. Wasatch County SAR explicitly does not maintain records before 1994. USCG BARD database excludes Utah data per DHS PIA-011.
This is a research compilation, not an engineering survey. Contamination figures are upper-bound estimates. Numbers should not be cited in legal, regulatory, or engineering contexts without primary-source verification.
About Fathom Restoration
Utah's first dedicated underwater vehicle recovery nonprofit. We recover submerged vehicles, vessels, and debris to protect the waterways our communities depend on.
Veteran-founded. 501(c)(3) application filed; awaiting IRS determination.
Contact: jakeseawolf919@gmail.com
EIN: 42-2166469
Site: fathomrestoration.org
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