Clower Creek Condition Report for 2021

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

3 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: 284 acres
  • Location: Central Sarasota County
  • Discharges into: Little Sarasota Bay

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

View county-wide water quality trends »

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Clower Creek

Clower Creek
Visit the Clower Creek 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:
  • 1975A
Chart Legend
  • Trend Line
  • Annual Mean
  • Threshold
Water quality data for the freshwater portion of this creek are not available at this time.

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:
  • 1975A
Chart Legend
  • Trend Line
  • Annual Mean
  • Threshold
Pass

Chlorophyll a

Score: Pass
Units: ug/l Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 35.6 150.0
Mean 5.4211 3.9789 12.20534
Low 1.26 0.10
No. of Samples 12 405

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
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 2.3 14.1
Mean 1.2585 1.2945 1.17333923
Low 0.962 0.0022
No. of Samples 12 369

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
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 0.4 3.1
Mean 0.1954 0.289 0.42373448
Low 0.101 0.039
No. of Samples 12 408

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
×

Phosphorus, Total

Caution

Dissolved Oxygen Saturation

Note: Low DO saturation also may be naturally influenced by inflows from nearby wetlands or groundwater sources
Score: Caution
Units: percent (%) Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 93.4 150.5
Mean 50.85 41.06 23.6249
Low 28.70 2.20
No. of Samples 12 455

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
×

Dissolved Oxygen Saturation

BOD, Biochemical oxygen demand

Units: mg/l Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 3.0 7.0
Mean 1.19 1.16 0.81622
Low 1.00 0.23
No. of Samples 11 310

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Color

Units: PCU Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 120.0 300.0
Mean 88.04 89.02 42.87844
Low 50.00 10.00
No. of Samples 12 477

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Ammonia + Ammonium as N

Units: mg/L Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 0.5 7.0
Mean 0.22 0.07 0.37836996
Low 0.125 0.00
No. of Samples 12 472

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Kjeldahl

Units: mg/L Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 2.2 14.0
Mean 1.07 1.13 0.9561473
Low 0.794 0.17
No. of Samples 12 456

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Nitrite + Nitrate as N

Units: mg/L Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 0.3 2.9
Mean 0.17 0.15 0.32146657
Low 0.123 0.00
No. of Samples 12 420

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

pH

Units: None Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 7.3 8.5
Mean 7.18 7.19 0.31883
Low 7.0472 4.70
No. of Samples 12 511

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Salinity

Units: PSS Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 0.8 35.3
Mean 0.39 0.96 9.06217
Low 0.2079 0.00
No. of Samples 12 466

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Specific conductance

Units: umho Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 1,523.6 52,344.0
Mean 800.25 1251.48 11936.28727
Low 437.081 0.342
No. of Samples 12 539

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Temperature, water

Units: deg F Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 181.9 185.1
Mean 167.83 77.31 22.84022
Low 149.7843 49.784
No. of Samples 12 458

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Turbidity

Units: NTU Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 117.0
Mean 7.68 14.15312
Low 1.20
No. of Samples 0 396

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

Clower Creek is located within the Little Sarasota Bay Watershed. View details about the Little 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.

53% of the land area within the Clower Creek Basin is covered by impervious surfaces

Impervious Surface Coverage by Type

Land Use / Land Cover

Clower Creek is located within the Little Sarasota Bay Watershed. View details about the Little 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 Clower Creek Basin
Land Use Classification 1990 1995 1999 2005 2011 2014 2017 2020 Trend
Urban & Built-up 22278% 22177.8% 22077.4% 21976.9% 21976.9% 21976.9% 21976.9% 21976.9% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Rangeland 00% 10.3% 10.3% 10.3% 10.3% 10.3% 10.3% 10.3% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Upland Forests 3010.6% 3010.6% 3010.6% 3010.6% 3010.6% 3010.6% 3010.6% 3010.6% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Water 134.4% 155.1% 145% 145% 145% 145% 145% 145% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Wetlands 10.2% 00% 10.5% 10.5% 10.5% 10.5% 10.5% 10.5% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Barren Land 51.6% 00% 00% 00% 00% 00% 00% 00% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Transportation and Utilities 155.2% 176.1% 176.1% 196.7% 196.7% 196.7% 196.7% 196.7% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Land Use Chart