Whitaker Bayou Condition Report for 2016

Pass
Rating icon - Chlorophyll a Rating icon - Total Nitrogen Rating icon - Total Phosphorous Rating icon - Dissolved Oxygen Saturation

4 out of 4 indicators were rated as PASS.

All four indicators must pass for the creek to be rated as PASS.

Learn more about how this report is created

  • Size: 4,967 acres
  • Location: North Sarasota County, south Manatee County
  • Discharges into: Sarasota Bay

For more information, please see: Sarasota Bay Water Quality Management Plan (2012)

View county-wide water quality trends »

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Whitaker Bayou

Whitaker Bayou
Visit the Whitaker Bayou water resource page »

Water Chemistry Ratings | Freshwater Portion of the Creek

Creek Conditions Ratings are based on comparing nitrogen, phosphorus, chlorophyll and dissolved oxygen to water quality guidelines or regulations. Florida law defines a maximum allowable concentration of nitrogen, phosphorus, and chlorophyll a, and a minimum allowable concentration of dissolved oxygen in these streams. Learn more about these ratings and how they are calculated »

Data for the following WBIDs is averaged when compiling the data below:
  • 1936A
Chart Legend
  • Trend Line
  • Annual Mean
  • Threshold
Pass

Chlorophyll a

Score: Pass
Units: ug/l Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 14.00 59.50
Mean 1.5536 1.8441 5.39017
Low 0.301 0.00
No. of Samples 22 577

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Pass

Nitrogen, Total

Score: Pass
Units: mg/L Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 1.87 15.76
Mean 1.1149 0.9104 1.55764296
Low 0.757 0.30
No. of Samples 16 338

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Pass

Phosphorus, Total

Score: Pass
Units: mg/L Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 0.462 2.38
Mean 0.2356 0.3046 0.22873997
Low 0.094 0.082
No. of Samples 18 591

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Pass

Dissolved Oxygen Saturation

Note: Low DO saturation also may be naturally influenced by inflows from nearby wetlands or groundwater sources.
Score: Pass
Units: percent (%) Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 124.00 262.30
Mean 64.08 84.82 42.34723
Low 29.00 7.0588
No. of Samples 18 701

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

BOD, Biochemical oxygen demand

Units: mg/l Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 1.00 175.00
Mean 0.75 0.88 17.40572
Low 0.50 0.50
No. of Samples 13 525

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Color

Units: PCU Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 100.00 220.00
Mean 54.01 74.54 34.39869
Low 40.00 20.00
No. of Samples 11 135

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Escherichia coli

Units: MPN/100ml Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 8664.00 14136.00
Mean 2069.6 3994.05 3707.1822
Low 97.00 97.00
No. of Samples 13 27

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Ammonia + Ammonium as N

Units: mg/L Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 0.12 30.06
Mean 0.03 0.02 2.18143686
Low 0.008 0.00
No. of Samples 8 650

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Kjeldahl

Units: mg/L Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 1.48 15.36
Mean 0.88 0.78 1.11946347
Low 0.581 0.20
No. of Samples 18 634

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Nitrite + Nitrate as N

Units: mg/L Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 0.57 1.02
Mean 0.22 0.08 0.15921007
Low 0.031 0.00
No. of Samples 17 604

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

pH

Units: None Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 8.02 11.77
Mean 7.59 7.67 0.37242
Low 7.00 6.10
No. of Samples 31 851

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Salinity

Units: PSS Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 23.40 23.40
Mean 0.62 0.39 1.5444
Low 0.20 0.00
No. of Samples 15 691

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Specific conductance

Units: umho Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 41859.00 49645.00
Mean 1501.51 660.17 4795.43444
Low 444.00 0.524
No. of Samples 18 892

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Temperature, water

Units: deg F Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 86.27 91.40
Mean 72.98 69.17 9.37022
Low 55.202 14.018
No. of Samples 17 777

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Turbidity

Units: NTU Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 7.20 56.40
Mean 1.66 2.93 5.24917
Low 0.61 0.50
No. of Samples 18 657

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Other Measures of Creek Health:

Water Chemistry Ratings | Tidal Portion of the Creek

Creek Conditions Ratings are based on comparing nitrogen, phosphorus, chlorophyll and dissolved oxygen to water quality guidelines or regulations. Florida law defines a maximum allowable concentration of chlorophyll a and a minimum allowable concentration of dissolved oxygen in these streams. Florida has no regulatory thresholds for nitrogen or phosphorus in tidal creeks so trends are used to rate the creeks. Learn more about these ratings and how they are calculated »

Data for the following WBIDs is averaged when compiling the data below:
  • 1936
Chart Legend
  • Trend Line
  • Annual Mean
  • Threshold
Pass

Chlorophyll a

Score: Pass
Units: ug/l Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 128.0 128.0
Mean 6.85 12.1443 24.6145
Low 0.497 0.38
No. of Samples 13 195

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
×

Chlorophyll a

The rating for Chlorophyll a is determined by comparing the annual arithmetic mean of its sampled values to fixed target and threshold values. The annual arithmetic mean is shown in the graph at left, as compared to its established target and threshold values.

An arithmetic mean is used for Chlorophyll a for consistency with the Surface Water Quality Standards, Florida Administrative Code 62-302.532, Estuary-Specific Numeric Interpretations of the Narrative Nutrient Criterion.

Nitrogen, Total

We were unable to determine a trend for the data available.
Units: mg/L Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 1.8 7.0
Mean 1.4025 1.1493 1.45761898
Low 0.873 0.054
No. of Samples 6 136

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
×

Nitrogen, Total

Phosphorus, Total

We were unable to determine a trend for the data available.
Units: mg/L Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 0.3 2.0
Mean 0.1999 0.2371 0.3925048
Low 0.054 0.038
No. of Samples 10 239

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
×

Phosphorus, Total

Pass

Dissolved Oxygen Saturation

Note: Low DO saturation also may be naturally influenced by inflows from nearby wetlands or groundwater sources
Score: Pass
Units: percent (%) Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 104.0 381.3
Mean 63.2 63.34 30.11803
Low 21.50 0.00
No. of Samples 13 582

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
×

Dissolved Oxygen Saturation

BOD, Biochemical oxygen demand

Units: mg/l Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 9.7 12.7
Mean 1.94 2.41 2.23386
Low 1.00 0.543
No. of Samples 13 182

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Color

Units: PCU Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 110.0 200.0
Mean 40.74 53.4 28.93326
Low 20.00 10.00
No. of Samples 11 145

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Enterococcus Group Bacteria

Units: MPN/100ml Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 1,600.0 4,800.0
Mean 160.67 236.78 1252.52508
Low 20.00 20.00
No. of Samples 13 27

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Ammonia + Ammonium as N

Units: mg/L Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 0.2 1.9
Mean 0.09 0.01 0.18525994
Low 0.008 0.00
No. of Samples 6 289

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Kjeldahl

Units: mg/L Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 1.8 6.3
Mean 0.87 0.87 0.92570304
Low 0.509 0.05
No. of Samples 13 285

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Nitrite + Nitrate as N

Units: mg/L Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 0.4 3.3
Mean 0.08 0.07 0.35950627
Low 0.004 0.004
No. of Samples 6 237

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

pH

Units: None Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 8.2 8.8
Mean 7.84 7.61 0.40643
Low 7.50 4.90
No. of Samples 26 2,852

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Salinity

Units: PSS Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 34.2 45.0
Mean 31.74 6.01 15.34878
Low 28.00 0.00
No. of Samples 13 2,890

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Specific conductance

Units: umho Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 52,080.0 55,760.0
Mean 48843.11 7227.77 22667.68254
Low 44091.00 320.00
No. of Samples 13 2,696

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Temperature, water

Units: deg F Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 91.0 95.5
Mean 77.12 74.54 6.10831
Low 59.126 49.10
No. of Samples 12 3,033

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Turbidity

Units: NTU Year
2016		 Historical
period of record
High 12.0 31.3
Mean 4.29 3.84 3.31287
Low 2.50 0.62
No. of Samples 13 551

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Other Measures of Creek Health:

Oysters

Because they are immobile and will tolerate a fairly wide salinity range, eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) are valuable as an indicator of the relative health of aquatic ecosystems in the tidally-influenced portions of coastal creeks. Sarasota County has established an oyster monitoring program to track the location, types, and status of oyster reefs. Data from this monitoring program is shown below. Learn more about Oysters »

Loading oyster site map...

Impervious Features

Whitaker Bayou is located within the Sarasota Bay Watershed. View details about the Sarasota Bay Watershed »

Rain that falls on land that is in a natural state is absorbed and filtered by soils and vegetation as it makes it way into underground aquifers. However, in developed areas, "impervious surfaces" impede this process and contribute to polluted urban runoff entering surface waters. These surfaces include human infrastructure like roads, sidewalks, driveways and parking lots that are covered by impenetrable materials such as asphalt, concrete, brick and stone, as well as buildings and other permanent structures. Soils that have been disturbed and compacted by urban development are often impervious as well. Learn more about Impervious Features »

The Sarasota County Stormwater Environmental Utility (SEU) mapped impervious surfaces in the County in 2013. A map showing impervious surfaces can be viewed using the Water Atlas Map Viewer tool.

27% of the land area within the Whitaker Bayou Basin is covered by impervious surfaces

Impervious Surface Coverage by Type

Land Use / Land Cover

Whitaker Bayou is located within the Sarasota Bay Watershed. View details about the Sarasota Bay Watershed »

Land use within a creek's watershed has a major effect on its water quality. In general, less development means better water quality. Land Cover/Land Use classifications categorize land in terms of its observed physical surface characteristics (e.g. upland or wetland), and also reflect the types of activity that are taking place on it (agriculture, urban/built-up, utilities, etc.). Florida uses as its standard a set of statewide classifications which were developed by the Florida Department of Transportation. Learn more about Land Use and Land Cover »

Acreage and Percentage within each Land Use / Land Cover Category for Whitaker Bayou Basin
Land Use Classification 1990 1995 1999 2005 2011 2014 2017 2020 Trend
Urban & Built-up 3,83077.1% 3,83477.2% 3,83177.1% 3,90378.6% 3,95279.6% 3,92179% 3,95179.6% 3,97079.9% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Agriculture 2144.3% 1823.7% 1883.8% 1813.6% 1813.6% 1813.6% 1783.6% 1683.4% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Rangeland 40.1% 40.1% 40.1% 40.1% 40.1% 40.1% 40.1% 40.1% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Upland Forests 2354.7% 2495% 2495% 1953.9% 1643.3% 1953.9% 1643.3% 1583.2% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Water 1302.6% 1372.7% 1402.8% 1262.5% 881.8% 881.8% 891.8% 911.8% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Wetlands 3156.4% 2324.7% 2274.6% 2294.6% 2224.5% 2224.5% 2224.5% 2214.4% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Barren Land 00% 00% 00% 00% 00% 00% 30.1% 00% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Transportation and Utilities 2384.8% 3296.6% 3296.6% 3286.6% 3567.2% 3567.2% 3557.2% 3567.2% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Land Use Chart