Around the lake, you have probably seen the increasing growth of tall grasses, cattails and phragmites. Both plants can be found in many bodies of water in the area, and they each play a different role in the lake's environment. One plays a pivotal role in helping to keep Oquirrh Lake healthy, while the other is highly invasive and harmful to the lake. 
 
Cattails
Cattails are indigenous plants that provide a habitat for birds and fish. They protect the lake perimeter from erosion through rhizomes, roots that run underground. They also absorb nutrients and pollutants in the water that can promote algae growth. Basically, they keep Oquirrh Lake healthy and clean. At maturity, cattails resemble a "hotdog on a stick." At the end of the season, they turn into cottony seeds that spread the plant and help it continue to repopulate.
 
Phragmites
Phragmites are feathery-looking plants that grow in the same areas as cattails. While they look harmless, they are actually invasive weeds and can do quite a bit of damage, including competing with cattails. They multiply rapidly using rhizomes like cattails and stolons, vines that run above ground. Even leaving a fragment of the root when removing them is enough for another plant to grow. They typically form large clusters that eventually crowd out native fish, birds and vegetation. They can even overrun bodies of water through sedimentation as they grow. Learn more about phragmite control from Utah State University. 

Keeping the phragmites in check can be a difficult and ongoing task, but once they are properly managed, the environment becomes a thriving area for wildlife and native plants. Over the last decade or so, several conservation groups have been working to return the shorelines of Utah Lake to a much cleaner and more friendly environment for the native species of plants and wildlife. You can learn more about their progress here. 

Our maintenance and landscape crews continually work to clear the phragmites in and around Oquirrh Lake. Due to the unique setup and structure of the lake, we must approach the task differently. We ask that residents allow our crews to handle the maintenance of the plants. You will see crews cutting and treating them in late summer or cutting them down in winter. Please understand that this is to help prevent their spread in Oquirrh Lake to keep our lake and surrounding area clean and healthy.