Whitaker Bayou Condition Report for 2021

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 »

Dive Deeper!
Explore Water Quality Trends Watershed Management Plans Water Quality Contour Maps

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: mg/l Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 0.0066 0.0595
Mean 0.0007 0.0014 0.00576333
Low 0.0003 0.00
No. of Samples 12 487

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Pass

Nitrogen, Total

Score: Pass
Units: mg/l Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 2.538 15.76
Mean 0.8223 0.8846 1.41859109
Low 0.577 0.0019
No. of Samples 12 413

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Pass

Phosphorus, Total

Score: Pass
Units: mg/l Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 0.704 2.38
Mean 0.2054 0.2861 0.19172816
Low 0.111 0.082
No. of Samples 12 442

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
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 134.08 262.30
Mean 89.41 69.48 36.59116
Low 63.5872 2.20
No. of Samples 12 489

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

BOD, Biochemical oxygen demand

Units: mg/l Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 1.00 175.00
Mean 1.0 0.96 20.69947
Low 1.00 0.50
No. of Samples 11 369

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Color

Units: PCU Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 100.00 330.00
Mean 65.49 67.72 29.79637
Low 50.00 20.00
No. of Samples 12 558

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Escherichia coli

Units: cfu/100ml Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 6867.00 15531.00
Mean 2316.87 2692.85 3211.58231
Low 776.00 97.00
No. of Samples 12 129

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Ammonia + Ammonium as N

Units: ug/l Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 44.00 30060.00
Mean 13.3 15.47 2443.5187
Low 8.00 0.008
No. of Samples 12 517

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Kjeldahl

Units: ug/l Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 2260.00 15360.00
Mean 684.62 775.27 1268.7946
Low 441.00 200.00
No. of Samples 12 485

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Nitrite + Nitrate as N

Units: ug/l Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 278.00 1020.00
Mean 107.06 81.12 152.66841
Low 32.00 0.00
No. of Samples 12 457

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

pH

Units: None Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 8.25 11.77
Mean 7.84 7.63 0.36363
Low 7.5062 6.10
No. of Samples 12 809

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Salinity

Units: PSS Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 0.5618 23.40
Mean 0.34 0.4 1.72491
Low 0.2099 0.00
No. of Samples 12 703

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Specific conductance

Units: umho Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 1119.49 49645.00
Mean 706.42 724.49 5519.83062
Low 432.616 0.524
No. of Samples 12 821

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Temperature, water

Units: deg F Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 187.8368 192.1758
Mean 169.21 71.46 20.08131
Low 148.1034 46.40
No. of Samples 12 787

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Turbidity

Units: NTU Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 56.40
Mean 2.9 4.66908
Low 0.50
No. of Samples 0 443

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: mg/l Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 0.1 0.2
Mean 0.0072 0.0112 0.03266634
Low 0.0013 0.0004
No. of Samples 12 244

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 2.2 7.0
Mean 0.7483 0.9664 1.23830116
Low 0.404 0.0018
No. of Samples 12 211

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 0.2 2.0
Mean 0.1105 0.2169 0.38066903
Low 0.059 0.008
No. of Samples 12 252

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
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 101.2 827.0
Mean 63.66 64.13 68.45612
Low 21.076 0.00
No. of Samples 12 613

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
×

Dissolved Oxygen Saturation

BOD, Biochemical oxygen demand

Units: mg/l Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 2.2 13.7
Mean 1.23 2.44 2.33545
Low 1.00 0.543
No. of Samples 11 184

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Color

Units: PCU Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 70.0 200.0
Mean 29.9 39.62 27.95012
Low 7.50 5.00
No. of Samples 12 341

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Enterococcus Group Bacteria

Units: cfu/100ml Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 1,300.0 17,000.0
Mean 124.47 288.24 3263.59566
Low 10.00 10.00
No. of Samples 12 126

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Ammonia + Ammonium as N

Units: ug/l Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 813.0 1,930.0
Mean 40.9 18.43 217.81322
Low 8.00 0.00
No. of Samples 12 308

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Kjeldahl

Units: ug/l Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 1,940.0 6,291.0
Mean 648.05 894.14 910.94127
Low 327.00 50.00
No. of Samples 12 295

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Nitrite + Nitrate as N

Units: ug/l Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 273.0 3,275.0
Mean 43.77 60.76 339.45154
Low 4.00 4.00
No. of Samples 12 258

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

pH

Units: None Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 8.1 9.6
Mean 7.8 7.61 0.41027
Low 7.443 4.90
No. of Samples 12 2,911

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Salinity

Units: PSS Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 35.5 45.0
Mean 31.24 6.28 15.33213
Low 21.9969 0.00
No. of Samples 12 2,970

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Specific conductance

Units: umho Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 58,999.0 58,999.0
Mean 48624.33 7384.13 22741.10646
Low 34427.10 320.00
No. of Samples 12 2,725

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Temperature, water

Units: deg F Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 195.1 195.2
Mean 174.31 75.14 10.96065
Low 149.1852 49.10
No. of Samples 12 3,097

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Turbidity

Units: NTU Year
2021		 Historical
period of record
High 31.3
Mean 3.71 3.35313
Low 0.62
No. of Samples 0 497

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