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 »

Whitaker Bayou

Whitaker Bayou

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: ug/l Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 7.03 59.50
Mean 2.438 1.453 5.72138
Low 0.531 0.00
No. of Samples 12 653

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Pass

Nitrogen, Total

Score: Pass
Units: mg/L Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 1.40 15.76
Mean 1.1035 0.8925 1.28683658
Low 0.831 0.0019
No. of Samples 12 506

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Pass

Phosphorus, Total

Score: Pass
Units: mg/L Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 0.354 2.38
Mean 0.2189 0.2803 0.19879992
Low 0.156 0.082
No. of Samples 12 657

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 129.598 262.30
Mean 74.8 73.79 38.21286
Low 58.6266 2.20
No. of Samples 12 616

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

BOD, Biochemical oxygen demand

Units: mg/l Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 2.64 175.00
Mean 1.16 0.93 16.57328
Low 1.00 0.50
No. of Samples 12 579

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Color

Units: PCU Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 85.00 330.00
Mean 54.43 67.65 29.77148
Low 30.00 20.00
No. of Samples 12 738

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Escherichia coli

Units: MPN/100ml Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 6488.00 15531.00
Mean 2403.52 2874.07 3197.82344
Low 581.00 97.00
No. of Samples 11 221

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Ammonia + Ammonium as N

Units: mg/L Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 0.115 30.06
Mean 0.04 0.02 2.10128853
Low 0.01 0.00
No. of Samples 12 701

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Kjeldahl

Units: mg/L Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 1.29 15.36
Mean 0.99 0.77 1.06726841
Low 0.795 0.20
No. of Samples 12 700

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Nitrite + Nitrate as N

Units: mg/L Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 0.193 1.02
Mean 0.1 0.09 0.15031228
Low 0.036 0.00
No. of Samples 12 679

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

pH

Units: None Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 8.19 11.77
Mean 7.66 7.65 0.35673
Low 7.38 6.10
No. of Samples 12 996

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Salinity

Units: PSS Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 32.34 45.4582
Mean 0.52 0.4 2.49969
Low 0.1785 0.00
No. of Samples 12 820

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Specific conductance

Units: umho Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 48718.80 66296.20
Mean 1027.8 716.19 5778.32606
Low 369.519 0.524
No. of Samples 12 944

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Temperature, water

Units: deg F Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 192.5672 192.5672
Mean 172.7 74.21 27.95672
Low 148.8389 46.40
No. of Samples 12 827

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Turbidity

Units: NTU Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 56.40
Mean 2.72 4.81423
Low 0.50
No. of Samples 0 607

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: ug/l Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 38.2 196.0
Mean 7.5489 10.9942 29.52783
Low 0.647 0.38
No. of Samples 12 349

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 1.8 7.0
Mean 1.2917 0.9493 1.06467474
Low 1.034 0.0018
No. of Samples 12 303

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Pass

Phosphorus, Total

No trend was observed after performing a trend analysis.
Score: Pass
Units: mg/L Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 0.3 2.0
Mean 0.2211 0.2001 0.32347687
Low 0.129 0.008
No. of Samples 12 381

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 96.8 827.0
Mean 66.74 64.8 64.17941
Low 45.51 0.00
No. of Samples 12 711

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

BOD, Biochemical oxygen demand

Units: mg/l Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 6.1 13.7
Mean 1.48 2.24 2.16079
Low 1.00 0.543
No. of Samples 12 318

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Color

Units: PCU Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 80.0 200.0
Mean 65.9 37.52 28.67421
Low 40.00 1.00
No. of Samples 12 448

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Enterococcus Group Bacteria

Units: MPN/100ml Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 24,196.0 33,000.0
Mean 868.5 302.21 4074.52896
Low 63.00 10.00
No. of Samples 12 227

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Ammonia + Ammonium as N

Units: mg/L Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 0.1 1.9
Mean 0.06 0.03 0.22898371
Low 0.028 0.00
No. of Samples 12 422

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Kjeldahl

Units: mg/L Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 1.7 6.3
Mean 1.22 0.85 0.77916944
Low 0.97 0.05
No. of Samples 12 431

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Nitrite + Nitrate as N

Units: mg/L Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 0.2 3.3
Mean 0.06 0.06 0.31271121
Low 0.009 0.003
No. of Samples 12 387

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

pH

Units: None Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 8.0 9.6
Mean 7.6 7.62 0.41314
Low 7.30 4.90
No. of Samples 12 3,091

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Salinity

Units: PSS Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 37.5 45.0
Mean 14.04 6.6 15.27848
Low 0.38 0.00
No. of Samples 12 3,072

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Specific conductance

Units: umho Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 55,507.0 61,139.3
Mean 22672.68 7746.94 22741.93212
Low 767.67 320.00
No. of Samples 12 2,882

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Temperature, water

Units: deg F Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 194.3 199.3
Mean 175.53 75.87 15.017
Low 154.0112 49.10
No. of Samples 12 3,158

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Turbidity

Units: NTU Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 87.0
Mean 3.9 6.20105
Low 0.62
No. of Samples 0 593

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