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 2.3563 1.3527 5.62453
Low 0.531 0.00
No. of Samples 9 513

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 1.1726 0.8959 1.33276301
Low 0.897 0.0019
No. of Samples 7 470

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 0.2199 0.2801 0.18893039
Low 0.158 0.082
No. of Samples 10 468

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 77.45 69.48 35.92335
Low 58.6266 2.20
No. of Samples 10 513

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 1.15 0.97 19.86637
Low 1.00 0.50
No. of Samples 10 401

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Color

Units: PCU Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 80.00 330.00
Mean 53.69 67.71 31.30682
Low 30.00 20.00
No. of Samples 10 585

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Escherichia coli

Units: MPN/100ml Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 6131.00 15531.00
Mean 2520.28 2749.51 3269.80133
Low 657.00 97.00
No. of Samples 9 160

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 2.38049059
Low 0.01 0.00
No. of Samples 10 545

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Kjeldahl

Units: mg/L Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 1.29 15.36
Mean 1.01 0.78 1.23676441
Low 0.833 0.20
No. of Samples 10 511

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 0.11 0.08 0.14906337
Low 0.043 0.00
No. of Samples 10 483

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

pH

Units: None Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 8.19 11.77
Mean 7.67 7.64 0.36812
Low 7.38 6.10
No. of Samples 10 828

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Salinity

Units: PSS Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 32.34 45.4582
Mean 0.56 0.4 2.63526
Low 0.1785 0.00
No. of Samples 10 737

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Specific conductance

Units: umho Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 48718.80 66296.20
Mean 1102.1 740.58 6111.9132
Low 369.519 0.524
No. of Samples 10 841

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Temperature, water

Units: deg F Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 192.5672 192.5672
Mean 171.73 74.08 27.71297
Low 148.8389 46.40
No. of Samples 10 813

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Turbidity

Units: NTU Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 56.40
Mean 2.89 4.704
Low 0.50
No. of Samples 0 436

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 7.6009 10.6071 31.15873
Low 0.647 0.38
No. of Samples 9 275

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Total

We were unable to determine a trend for the data available.
Units: mg/L Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 1.8 7.0
Mean 1.3415 0.9673 1.11578728
Low 1.067 0.0018
No. of Samples 7 270

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Phosphorus, Total

We were unable to determine a trend for the data available.
Units: mg/L Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 0.3 2.0
Mean 0.2244 0.2117 0.3626814
Low 0.129 0.008
No. of Samples 10 280

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 64.23 65.04 66.234
Low 45.51 0.00
No. of Samples 10 660

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 1.59 2.27 2.2606
Low 1.00 0.543
No. of Samples 10 214

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Color

Units: PCU Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 80.0 200.0
Mean 65.66 38.64 29.31559
Low 40.00 1.00
No. of Samples 10 376

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Enterococcus Group Bacteria

Units: MPN/100ml Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 15,531.0 33,000.0
Mean 675.64 317.82 4018.76451
Low 63.00 10.00
No. of Samples 10 166

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 0.02 0.24058982
Low 0.028 0.00
No. of Samples 10 338

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 0.9 0.87223185
Low 0.97 0.05
No. of Samples 10 323

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Nitrite + Nitrate as N

Units: mg/L Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 0.1 3.3
Mean 0.06 0.06 0.33798176
Low 0.025 0.003
No. of Samples 10 287

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

pH

Units: None Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 8.0 9.6
Mean 7.58 7.61 0.41076
Low 7.30 4.90
No. of Samples 10 2,970

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Salinity

Units: PSS Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 37.5 45.0
Mean 12.56 6.33 15.3248
Low 0.38 0.00
No. of Samples 10 2,990

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Specific conductance

Units: umho Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 55,507.0 61,139.3
Mean 20428.36 7495.18 22735.50746
Low 767.67 320.00
No. of Samples 10 2,829

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Temperature, water

Units: deg F Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 194.3 199.3
Mean 174.38 75.83 14.7982
Low 154.0112 49.10
No. of Samples 10 3,145

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Turbidity

Units: NTU Year
2024
Historical
period of record
High 87.0
Mean 3.78 6.65777
Low 0.62
No. of Samples 0 503

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