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As an ecological barrier between the Badain Jaran Desert and Tengger Desert, Qingtu Lake plays an important role in maintaining the local ecological environment. Since 2010, annual artificial water transport to Qingtu Lake has caused changes in local vegetation communities, which is of great ecological significance for promoting regional vegetation restoration. In this study, Landsat satellite remote sensing images from 2010 to 2017 were used to compare the water surface area, vegetation coverage, and spatial patterns of Phragmites australis communities before and after ecological water transport. The results showed that the water surface area increased rapidly until 2016, and the growth rate of the last two years decreased. There was a slight increase in total regional vegetation coverage, which mainly occurred in the water area due to the substantial growth in P. australis. Therefore, artificial ecological water transport promoted the growth in vegetation around the lake, especially the aquatic vegetation, such as P. australis. However, the original desert vegetation in the study area may have been reduced due to submergence.