SALEM, Ore. — In partnership with Willamette Riverkeeper, the City of Salem will soon begin treating two sloughs in Minto-Brown Island Park to remove the invasive plant species Ludwigia hexapetala, otherwise known as water primrose.
Treatments will begin July 28 and continue through Aug. 8 in Oxbow Slough and Willamette Slough. Additional treatments will occur in late August or September.
Residents and visitors are asked to stay out of the sloughs while treatment is in progress and for 24 hours after treatment to protect against possible exposure. Treated plants will show signs of blue-green dye. The dye may persist for up to two weeks.
City of Salem and Willamette Riverkeeper representatives will be available for questions or conversations at Minto-Brown Island Park July 28-29 while the work is visible from the park.
This is the second year of a five-year partnership with Willamette Riverkeeper to reduce the invasive plant in Oxbow Slough. This is a similar project to the work previously done in Willamette Slough, which will also be treated to remove small remnant patches of Ludwigia.
Ludwigia forms dense mats in slow-moving backwater channels, oxbow lakes and sloughs. While this yellow-flowered plant may appear pretty, it has the potential to choke entire waterways, severely restricting recreational access, degrading water quality and creating an environment that is unfriendly to native fish and wildlife.
Groups along the Willamette River have been working to stop the spread of this highly invasive plant.
Learn more about restoring the Willamette River in Oxbow Slough and previous work completed in Willamette Slough at https://www.cityofsalem.net/community/natural-environment-climate/environmental-planning-management/streams-wetlands/restoring-the-willamette-river-1859
