Curry Creek Condition Report for 2024

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: 6,399 acres
  • Location: Central Sarasota County
  • Discharges into: Roberts Bay (Venice)

For more information, please see: Curry Creek Basin Master Plan Update, Venice County Model (2001)

View county-wide water quality trends »

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Curry Creek

Curry Creek
Visit the Curry 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:
  • 2009
  • 2009B
  • 2009C
  • 2016
Chart Legend
  • Trend Line
  • Annual Mean
  • Threshold
Pass

Chlorophyll a

Score: Pass
Units: ug/l Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 126.00 132.00
Mean 9.5522 8.7557 15.97571
Low 1.34 0.25
No. of Samples 36 1,195

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Pass

Nitrogen, Total

Score: Pass
Units: mg/L Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 2.183 3.155
Mean 1.2446 1.0671 0.39619348
Low 0.91 0.117
No. of Samples 30 835

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Pass

Phosphorus, Total

Score: Pass
Units: mg/L Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 0.389 0.885
Mean 0.1363 0.1829 0.17140536
Low 0.027 0.016
No. of Samples 30 1,045

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
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 73.87 166.80
Mean 38.42 52.74 22.67194
Low 2.93 1.3632
No. of Samples 25 806

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

BOD, Biochemical oxygen demand

Units: mg/l Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 4.10 6.58
Mean 1.14 1.31 0.69681
Low 1.00 0.50
No. of Samples 24 781

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Color

Units: PCU Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 180.00 450.00
Mean 86.26 103.55 85.08816
Low 35.00 5.00
No. of Samples 25 940

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Escherichia coli

Units: MPN/100ml Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 528.00 4106.00
Mean 149.45 170.03 460.36634
Low 52.00 10.00
No. of Samples 12 213

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Ammonia + Ammonium as N

Units: mg/L Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 0.244 25.57
Mean 0.07 0.03 0.87491199
Low 0.021 0.00
No. of Samples 24 894

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Kjeldahl

Units: mg/L Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 2.16 26.19
Mean 1.27 1.04 0.94905531
Low 0.881 0.05
No. of Samples 24 917

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Nitrite + Nitrate as N

Units: mg/L Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 0.078 0.79
Mean 0.03 0.06 0.07421932
Low 0.011 0.00
No. of Samples 24 858

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

pH

Units: None Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 7.61 8.90
Mean 7.28 7.55 0.32651
Low 6.82 5.52
No. of Samples 25 4,661

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Salinity

Units: PSS Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 29.14 78.50
Mean 2.06 9.95 15.72922
Low 0.11 0.00
No. of Samples 26 4,488

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Specific conductance

Units: umho Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 44434.10 61277.60
Mean 3420.99 14714.44 16507.43866
Low 225.91 0.286
No. of Samples 26 4,517

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Temperature, water

Units: deg F Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 190.364 192.9268
Mean 166.15 75.94 17.57816
Low 76.46 47.858
No. of Samples 25 4,305

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Turbidity

Units: NTU Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 40.00
Mean 2.56 1.91296
Low 0.70
No. of Samples 0 718

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:
  • 1991G
  • 2009A
Chart Legend
  • Trend Line
  • Annual Mean
  • Threshold
Pass

Chlorophyll a

Score: Pass
Units: ug/l Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 57.0 180.0
Mean 8.761 6.7894 13.81371
Low 1.01 0.25
No. of Samples 54 2,157

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.

Pass

Nitrogen, Total

Trend analysis shows a weak decreasing trend.
Score: Pass
Units: mg/L Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 2.0 4.2
Mean 1.2531 1.1946 0.33214337
Low 0.931 0.19
No. of Samples 46 1,787

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
×

Nitrogen, Total

Pass

Phosphorus, Total

Trend analysis shows a weak decreasing trend.
Score: Pass
Units: mg/L Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 0.7 1.6
Mean 0.2488 0.3244 0.16916282
Low 0.118 0.02
No. of Samples 46 2,094

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
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 97.5 263.0
Mean 55.8 63.28 19.75183
Low 20.64 -99.90
No. of Samples 50 3,548

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
×

Dissolved Oxygen Saturation

BOD, Biochemical oxygen demand

Units: mg/l Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 1.7 7.0
Mean 1.12 1.16 0.61294
Low 1.00 0.20
No. of Samples 36 1,726

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Color

Units: PCU Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 340.0 500.0
Mean 122.39 142.62 84.93965
Low 50.00 8.00
No. of Samples 46 2,078

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Enterococcus Group Bacteria

Units: MPN/100ml Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 813.0 8,300.0
Mean 153.81 149.52 856.13062
Low 29.10 1.00
No. of Samples 2 195

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Ammonia + Ammonium as N

Units: mg/L Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 0.3 0.9
Mean 0.03 0.01 0.05724563
Low 0.005 0.00
No. of Samples 46 1,643

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Kjeldahl

Units: mg/L Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 2.0 2.9
Mean 1.23 1.15 0.30649973
Low 0.92 0.17
No. of Samples 46 2,145

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Nitrite + Nitrate as N

Units: mg/L Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 0.2 0.5
Mean 0.02 0.02 0.06869756
Low 0.004 0.00
No. of Samples 46 2,392

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

pH

Units: None Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 9.6 9.6
Mean 7.09 7.04 0.40785
Low 5.92 5.32
No. of Samples 50 3,928

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Salinity

Units: PSS Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 10.5 19.7
Mean 0.29 0.29 3.09534
Low 0.06 0.00
No. of Samples 44 3,175

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Specific conductance

Units: umho Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 17,571.1 31,710.0
Mean 597.55 561.93 5009.59085
Low 134.67 4.64
No. of Samples 59 3,913

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Temperature, water

Units: deg F Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 191.1 197.0
Mean 140.47 80.44 25.73421
Low 64.40 36.158
No. of Samples 49 3,508

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Turbidity

Units: NTU Year
2024		 Historical
period of record
High 9.7 25.0
Mean 3.74 2.54 1.97818
Low 1.60 0.10
No. of Samples 10 1,816

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 CC1 2023 80
2 CC2 2023 50

Impervious Features

Curry Creek is located within the Dona and Roberts Bay Watershed. View details about the Dona and Roberts 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.

13% of the land area within the Curry Creek Basin is covered by impervious surfaces

Impervious Surface Coverage by Type

Land Use / Land Cover

Curry Creek is located within the Dona and Roberts Bay Watershed. View details about the Dona and Roberts 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 Curry Creek Basin
Land Use Classification 1990 1995 1999 2005 2011 2014 2017 2020 Trend
Urban & Built-up 2,08932.7% 2,33136.4% 2,91545.6% 3,50454.8% 3,62156.6% 3,51955% 3,82559.8% 4,02562.9% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Agriculture 1,53223.9% 1,37421.5% 1,20118.8% 73611.5% 3856% 3695.8% 2704.2% 2253.5% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Rangeland 1742.7% 2123.3% 1882.9% 751.2% 3175% 3225% 2143.3% 1532.4% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Upland Forests 1,45222.7% 1,22919.2% 82612.9% 76712% 70711.1% 81312.7% 70111% 5358.4% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Water 3505.5% 4386.8% 4827.5% 4937.7% 4927.7% 4927.7% 5087.9% 5498.6% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Wetlands 5268.2% 4637.2% 4617.2% 4837.6% 5228.2% 5228.2% 5198.1% 5108% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Barren Land 80.1% 210.3% 00% 00% 00% 00% 00% 00% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Transportation and Utilities 2664.2% 3305.2% 3265.1% 3415.3% 3545.5% 3625.7% 3605.6% 4026.3% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Land Use Chart