Hudson Bayou Condition Report for 2023

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: 2,406 acres
  • Location: North Sarasota 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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Hudson Bayou

Hudson Bayou
Visit the Hudson 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:
  • 1953A
Chart Legend
  • Trend Line
  • Annual Mean
  • Threshold
Pass

Chlorophyll a

Score: Pass
Units: mg/L Year
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 0.0157 0.1568
Mean 0.0029 0.0013 0.01141147
Low 0.0008 0.0002
No. of Samples 14 587

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Pass

Nitrogen, Total

Score: Pass
Units: mg/L Year
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 2.174 17.52
Mean 1.2559 0.9254 0.90308229
Low 0.774 0.0018
No. of Samples 14 452

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Pass

Phosphorus, Total

Score: Pass
Units: mg/L Year
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 0.99 4.05
Mean 0.4198 0.4136 0.33646178
Low 0.16 0.047
No. of Samples 14 491

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
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 85.05 489.00
Mean 38.94 51.1 33.10216
Low 2.6788 0.3008
No. of Samples 22 505

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

BOD, Biochemical oxygen demand

Units: mg/l Year
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 7.48 13.10
Mean 2.2 1.06 1.46247
Low 1.00 0.50
No. of Samples 14 459

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Color

Units: PCU Year
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 200.00 400.00
Mean 96.15 74.7 32.26683
Low 40.00 20.00
No. of Samples 20 570

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Escherichia coli

Units: MPN/100ml Year
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 14136.00 24196.00
Mean 1822.52 1325.09 3054.43523
Low 90.00 41.00
No. of Samples 12 271

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Ammonia + Ammonium as N

Units: mg/L Year
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 0.114 1.33
Mean 0.04 0.05 0.11765518
Low 0.008 0.00
No. of Samples 14 515

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Kjeldahl

Units: mg/L Year
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 1.85 13.80
Mean 1.11 0.8 0.93221354
Low 0.749 0.00
No. of Samples 14 490

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Nitrite + Nitrate as N

Units: mg/L Year
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 0.391 3.72
Mean 0.09 0.12 0.26672883
Low 0.018 0.004
No. of Samples 14 490

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

pH

Units: None Year
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 8.18 758.00
Mean 7.47 7.45 31.00855
Low 6.50 6.20
No. of Samples 22 586

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Salinity

Units: PSS Year
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 15.952 28.633
Mean 0.43 0.37 2.56417
Low 0.1078 0.04
No. of Samples 22 579

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Specific conductance

Units: umho Year
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 25715.90 54000.00
Mean 866.71 886.39 9855.77101
Low 225.617 0.445
No. of Samples 22 501

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Temperature, water

Units: deg F Year
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 189.1675 189.1675
Mean 168.23 86.65 38.40677
Low 149.3132 53.87
No. of Samples 22 502

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Turbidity

Units: NTU Year
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 60.00
Mean 3.72 4.77177
Low 1.00
No. of Samples 0 324

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:
  • 1951
  • 1953
Chart Legend
  • Trend Line
  • Annual Mean
  • Threshold

Chlorophyll a

Units: mg/L Year
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 0.1
Mean 0.0035 0.01085351
Low 0.0003
No. of Samples 0 108

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
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 1.9
Mean 0.8554 0.30441057
Low 0.34
No. of Samples 0 129

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
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 1.3
Mean 0.2872 0.23392121
Low 0.05
No. of Samples 0 141

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
×

Phosphorus, Total

Dissolved Oxygen Saturation

Units: percent (%) Year
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 128.7
Mean 44.97 26.20015
Low 0.70
No. of Samples 0 204

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
×

Dissolved Oxygen Saturation

BOD, Biochemical oxygen demand

Units: mg/l Year
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 5.4
Mean 1.87 1.08906
Low 0.50
No. of Samples 0 83

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Color

Units: PCU Year
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 125.0
Mean 29.54 22.61276
Low 5.00
No. of Samples 0 202

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Ammonia + Ammonium as N

Units: mg/L Year
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 0.9
Mean 0.02 0.13400805
Low 0.00
No. of Samples 0 191

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Kjeldahl

Units: mg/L Year
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 1.9
Mean 0.73 0.30263979
Low 0.16
No. of Samples 0 187

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Nitrite + Nitrate as N

Units: mg/L Year
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 0.7
Mean 0.06 0.13533576
Low 0.00
No. of Samples 0 149

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

pH

Units: None Year
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 8.4
Mean 7.69 0.44047
Low 6.38
No. of Samples 0 205

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Salinity

Units: PSS Year
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 34.7
Mean 18.93 9.54274
Low 0.35
No. of Samples 0 194

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Specific conductance

Units: umho Year
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 53,000.0
Mean 35542.15 11630.0327
Low 46.582
No. of Samples 0 287

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Temperature, water

Units: deg F Year
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 94.2
Mean 75.55 8.39251
Low 51.80
No. of Samples 0 212

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Turbidity

Units: NTU Year
2023		 Historical
period of record
High 42.0
Mean 4.65 4.50041
Low 0.27
No. of Samples 0 201

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...
Most Recent Sarasota County Oyster Monitoring Program Data
Icon Site ID Year Dead Live Total % Live
1 HUD2 2023 80

Impervious Features

Hudson 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.

47% of the land area within the Hudson Bayou Basin is covered by impervious surfaces

Impervious Surface Coverage by Type

Land Use / Land Cover

Hudson 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 Hudson Bayou Basin
Land Use Classification 1990 1995 1999 2005 2011 2014 2017 2020 Trend
Urban & Built-up 2,22492.4% 2,24493.3% 2,24393.2% 2,26093.9% 2,26093.9% 2,24993.5% 2,26093.9% 2,25993.9% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Upland Forests 160.7% 90.4% 90.4% 00% 00% 00% 00% 00% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Water 241% 251% 261.1% 261.1% 271.1% 271.1% 271.1% 271.1% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Wetlands 160.7% 130.5% 130.5% 100.4% 100.4% 100.4% 100.4% 100.4% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Transportation and Utilities 1265.2% 1154.8% 1154.8% 1094.6% 1094.6% 1205% 1094.5% 1104.6% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Land Use Chart