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Utah Lake council pushes monitoring and phragmites control; seeks partnerships and modest funding
Summary
The Utah Lake Watershed Council reported fieldwork and new focus areas including invasive phragmites control, sensor monitoring after wastewater upgrades and outreach to canal companies, and requested assistance coordinating expertise and small‑scale funding.
Joe Crawford, chair of the Utah Lake Watershed Council, reported that the council is shifting from initial information‑gathering field trips toward implementing priorities such as phragmites control, canal company engagement and water quality monitoring.
The council spent its first year on many field trips and relationship‑building; in year two members developed a near‑final mission and vision and are identifying practical next steps. The council’s priorities include convening experts (panel or lunch‑and‑learn format), coordinating with canal companies for data and infrastructure knowledge, examining microplastics, and addressing phragmites infestations around Utah Lake and in inflowing sloughs and tributaries.
Crawford and other speakers emphasized monitoring after recent wastewater plant upgrades. Council members suggested deploying sondes (multiparameter sensors) at treatment plant outflows to gather continuous conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen and temperature baselines rather than relying solely on sporadic grab samples. Laura Briefer (Jordan River Watershed Council staff) described sondes as an efficient first step for baseline monitoring. The council noted limited funds and asked for help identifying small grants or pilot funds to deploy monitoring equipment.
On phragmites, Department of Natural Resources representatives at the meeting said a sustained, multi‑year approach is required and that grazing (managed cattle grazing) can be effective because it reduces seed set and biomass; DNR staff said phragmites management has reduced stands on the lake by roughly 80% in some areas where sustained treatment and restoration have occurred. Council members from adjacent watersheds offered to coordinate on upstream sloughs and channels because phragmites dispersal and reestablishment often occur from connected tributaries.
The council plans to pursue panel sessions, invite canal companies to share data, coordinate with other watershed councils (Jordan River, Great Salt Lake) on phragmites and monitoring, and seek modest funding sources to pilot sensors and other small projects. The council requested contact support; Crawford asked watershed councils to coordinate and said they will reach out to subject‑matter experts and relevant agencies.
