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.
Utah's lakes are poisoned. Nobody is doing anything about it.
Sources: Fathom Restoration, Utah Waterways: A Submerged Debris Atlas (2026), applying EPA dispersion factors; Great Salt Lake funding via the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (greatsaltlake.utah.gov, 2024). See the full research →
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 engine oil, fuel, and fluids into the lake floor. Antifreeze alone — 1.4 ounces is lethal to wildlife. A single vehicle holds 1–1.5 gallons.
Great Salt Lake — surface elevation, the last quarter century.
Great Salt Lake anchors the ecosystem and economy of the Wasatch Front, where most Utahns live. 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.
Who's handling this? Nobody.
Under-funded, under-equipped. Focused on rescue, evidence, and remains — not long-term debris cleanup. A small number of certified divers statewide.
Monitor water quality. Issue reports. Lack any recovery capability, equipment, or operational mandate to physically remove vehicles from the bottom.
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.
ROV reconnaissance and sonar mapping. Coordination with county sheriffs and lake authorities. Every asset GPS-documented before deployment.
USCG-certified dive crews with hydraulic lift systems rated for 20,000+ lb vehicles. Zero-spill extraction protocol. Full surface team support.
CDL-A HazMat licensed transport. Sealed containment prevents secondary contamination. Chain of custody documented from lake floor to disposal.
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.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation alone committed $50 million to Great Salt Lake restoration — with none of it allocated to submerged-vehicle removal. (Source: greatsaltlake.utah.gov)
The lake hit record lows in 2022 and has only partially recovered. It anchors the Wasatch Front, where most Utahns live. Every contamination source matters.
No nonprofit, private company, or government agency has the equipment, legal structure, and operational mandate to do what Fathom Restoration does.
Utah dive teams are resource-constrained and actively looking for partners. We fill a gap they cannot. Referral flow on day one.
Help us pull the first one out.
Your donation funds the certified dive team, recovery equipment, and HazMat transport we need to start pulling vehicles out of Utah's waters for good.