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: 35,771 acres
  • Location: North Sarasota County, south Manatee County
  • Discharges into: Sarasota Bay

For more information, please see: Phillippi Creek Flood Study Update (2001)

View county-wide water quality trends »

Phillippi Creek

Phillippi Creek

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:
  • 1937
  • 1941
  • 1966
  • 1971
  • 1971A
Chart Legend
  • Trend Line
  • Annual Mean
  • Threshold
Pass

Chlorophyll a

Score: Pass
Units: ug/l Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 151.00 1573.00
Mean 6.3547 5.4874 50.24204
Low 0.611 0.00
No. of Samples 179 5,713

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Pass

Nitrogen, Total

Score: Pass
Units: mg/L Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 8.508 21.845
Mean 1.3824 1.3188 2.01469892
Low 0.28 0.124
No. of Samples 169 4,856

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Pass

Phosphorus, Total

Score: Pass
Units: mg/L Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 4.25 7.36
Mean 0.3707 0.3289 0.35647389
Low 0.007 0.007
No. of Samples 170 5,819

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 135.95 262.40
Mean 53.5 61.75 30.41325
Low 0.94 0.00
No. of Samples 171 4,763

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

BOD, Biochemical oxygen demand

Units: mg/l Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 9.97 21.30
Mean 1.49 1.38 1.89085
Low 1.00 0.071
No. of Samples 159 4,339

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Color

Units: PCU Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 350.00 936.00
Mean 93.31 73.69 48.35007
Low 9.50 0.00
No. of Samples 170 5,762

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Escherichia coli

Units: MPN/100ml Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 24196.00 24196.00
Mean 684.44 796.87 3025.37111
Low 1.00 1.00
No. of Samples 150 3,025

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Ammonia + Ammonium as N

Units: mg/L Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 6.50 19.60
Mean 0.06 0.04 1.65250919
Low 0.008 0.00
No. of Samples 169 5,520

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Kjeldahl

Units: mg/L Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 8.48 21.70
Mean 1.26 1.06 1.94231515
Low 0.709 0.002
No. of Samples 169 5,601

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Nitrite + Nitrate as N

Units: mg/L Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 0.767 9.70
Mean 0.08 0.15 0.37552687
Low 0.004 0.00
No. of Samples 169 5,228

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

pH

Units: None Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 9.18 10.75
Mean 7.33 7.26 0.79944
Low 6.18 0.078
No. of Samples 171 7,304

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Salinity

Units: PSS Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 16.4722 31.60
Mean 0.32 0.3 1.5604
Low 0.04 0.00
No. of Samples 160 5,127

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Specific conductance

Units: umho Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 26480.30 51500.00
Mean 662.26 619.18 2187.0098
Low 93.38 0.369
No. of Samples 181 6,030

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Temperature, water

Units: deg F Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 193.9604 412.8548
Mean 160.51 85.71 38.086
Low 61.70 39.884
No. of Samples 171 5,583

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Turbidity

Units: NTU Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 18.00 240.00
Mean 4.84 4.56 11.24403
Low 1.50 0.091
No. of Samples 12 4,275

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:
  • 1947
  • 1968D
Chart Legend
  • Trend Line
  • Annual Mean
  • Threshold
Pass

Chlorophyll a

Score: Pass
Units: ug/l Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 23.9 99.1
Mean 6.4162 6.013 8.14562
Low 1.01 0.10
No. of Samples 71 2,081

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Pass

Nitrogen, Total

No trend was observed after performing a trend analysis.
Score: Pass
Units: mg/L Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 1.6 8.9
Mean 0.5344 0.53 0.55591415
Low 0.275 0.065
No. of Samples 70 2,645

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Pass

Phosphorus, Total

Trend analysis shows a weak decreasing trend.
Score: Pass
Units: mg/L Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 0.4 2.2
Mean 0.1089 0.1304 0.15489766
Low 0.05 0.0001
No. of Samples 71 2,835

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 139.0 212.0
Mean 92.56 85.2 20.4827
Low 42.00 0.00
No. of Samples 177 6,566

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

BOD, Biochemical oxygen demand

Units: mg/l Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 3.2 7.5
Mean 1.13 1.24 0.81147
Low 0.50 0.20
No. of Samples 66 2,263

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Color

Units: PCU Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 100.0 280.0
Mean 14.4 21.38 27.31888
Low 4.00 0.00
No. of Samples 71 2,770

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Enterococcus Group Bacteria

Units: MPN/100ml Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 8,164.0 41,000.0
Mean 410.04 470.24 5106.06308
Low 10.00 10.00
No. of Samples 11 213

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 0.13 0.01 0.07907431
Low 0.073 0.00
No. of Samples 11 1,765

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Kjeldahl

Units: mg/L Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 1.6 3.6
Mean 0.53 0.52 0.3197721
Low 0.27 0.00
No. of Samples 71 3,143

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Nitrite + Nitrate as N

Units: mg/L Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 0.1 1.1
Mean 0.01 0.01 0.09991364
Low 0.005 0.00
No. of Samples 70 2,674

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

pH

Units: None Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 8.2 9.2
Mean 7.77 7.8 0.3382
Low 6.76 0.90
No. of Samples 167 5,526

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Salinity

Units: PSS Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 37.2 38.7
Mean 24.18 22.3 9.17419
Low 0.20 0.00
No. of Samples 165 7,643

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Specific conductance

Units: umho Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 55,900.0 69,000.0
Mean 38249.2 36398.63 12592.93558
Low 405.42 0.30
No. of Samples 173 9,336

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Temperature, water

Units: deg F Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 190.5 412.9
Mean 82.43 77.1 14.14307
Low 61.88 37.49
No. of Samples 163 7,187

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Turbidity

Units: NTU Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 11.0 24.0
Mean 3.57 3.43 2.08946
Low 1.20 0.20
No. of Samples 60 3,083

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 PH3 2024 106 42 148 28

Impervious Features

Phillippi Creek 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.

20% of the land area within the Phillippi Creek Basin is covered by impervious surfaces

Impervious Surface Coverage by Type

Land Use / Land Cover

Phillippi Creek 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 Phillippi Creek Basin
Land Use Classification 1990 1995 1999 2005 2011 2014 2017 2020 Trend
Urban & Built-up 20,77358.1% 22,10961.8% 23,05164.4% 25,70071.8% 26,06672.9% 25,76872% 26,46074% 27,12475.8% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Agriculture 6,39817.9% 6,01816.8% 4,65713% 2,4987% 2,2166.2% 2,3096.5% 1,8225.1% 1,3183.7% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Rangeland 5231.5% 3080.9% 2620.7% 1420.4% 1470.4% 3300.9% 1290.4% 1290.4% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Upland Forests 3,3729.4% 2,6197.3% 2,3636.6% 1,9055.3% 1,7244.8% 1,7715% 1,6184.5% 1,4394% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Water 1,1713.3% 1,3673.8% 1,6064.5% 1,8585.2% 2,0275.7% 1,8835.3% 1,9975.6% 2,0635.8% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Wetlands 2,2736.4% 1,7624.9% 1,7354.8% 1,7154.8% 1,7274.8% 1,8605.2% 1,8195.1% 1,8105.1% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Barren Land 190.1% 1060.3% 6341.8% 90% 990.3% 950.3% 1000.3% 650.2% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Transportation and Utilities 1,2443.5% 1,4814.1% 1,4644.1% 1,9435.4% 1,7674.9% 1,7554.9% 1,8265.1% 1,8235.1% Land Use Trend Sparkline
Land Use Chart