Whitaker Bayou Condition Report for 2014

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: 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 »

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Whitaker Bayou

Whitaker Bayou
Visit the Whitaker 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:
  • 1936A
Chart Legend
  • Trend Line
  • Annual Mean
  • Threshold
Pass

Chlorophyll a

Score: Pass
Units: ug/l Year
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 4.80 59.50
Mean 1.8468 1.9056 5.38724
Low 0.316 0.00
No. of Samples 46 531

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Pass

Nitrogen, Total

Score: Pass
Units: mg/L Year
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 1.476 15.76
Mean 0.8442 0.8979 1.60314228
Low 0.615 0.30
No. of Samples 20 318

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Pass

Phosphorus, Total

Score: Pass
Units: mg/L Year
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 0.777 2.38
Mean 0.2791 0.3097 0.23421759
Low 0.136 0.082
No. of Samples 48 549

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
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 174.40 262.30
Mean 107.84 85.83 42.76379
Low 63.70 7.0588
No. of Samples 48 666

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

BOD, Biochemical oxygen demand

Units: mg/l Year
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 1.19 175.00
Mean 0.65 0.89 18.03302
Low 0.50 0.50
No. of Samples 44 488

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Color

Units: PCU Year
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 220.00
Mean 76.7 34.68308
Low 20.00
No. of Samples 0 124

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Ammonia + Ammonium as N

Units: mg/L Year
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 0.026 30.06
Mean 0.0 0.02 2.23670118
Low 0.00 0.00
No. of Samples 58 618

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Kjeldahl

Units: mg/L Year
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 1.27 15.36
Mean 0.72 0.78 1.1551202
Low 0.587 0.20
No. of Samples 48 592

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Nitrite + Nitrate as N

Units: mg/L Year
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 0.444 1.02
Mean 0.08 0.08 0.15786406
Low 0.013 0.00
No. of Samples 47 563

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

pH

Units: None Year
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 8.37 11.77
Mean 7.8 7.68 0.3791
Low 7.32 6.10
No. of Samples 38 801

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Salinity

Units: PSS Year
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 0.46 20.48
Mean 0.32 0.39 0.99183
Low 0.20 0.00
No. of Samples 48 659

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Specific conductance

Units: umho Year
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 946.00 49645.00
Mean 660.28 644.55 4370.73895
Low 413.00 0.524
No. of Samples 48 860

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Temperature, water

Units: deg F Year
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 90.086 91.40
Mean 72.47 69.01 9.39679
Low 52.898 14.018
No. of Samples 36 747

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Turbidity

Units: NTU Year
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 8.00 56.40
Mean 1.68 3.06 5.36943
Low 1.10 0.50
No. of Samples 48 615

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
Caution

Chlorophyll a

Score: Caution
Units: ug/l Year
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 35.7 120.0
Mean 13.5815 12.9417 20.20641
Low 5.82 0.50
No. of Samples 48 158

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
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 1.7 7.0
Mean 0.7153 1.1441 1.53861208
Low 0.365 0.054
No. of Samples 20 120

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
×

Nitrogen, Total

Pass

Phosphorus, Total

Trend analysis shows a weak decreasing trend.
Score: Pass
Units: mg/L Year
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 0.9 2.0
Mean 0.194 0.2593 0.41298392
Low 0.041 0.038
No. of Samples 48 205

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
×

Phosphorus, Total

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
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 111.5 381.3
Mean 59.41 62.83 30.30453
Low 13.20 0.00
No. of Samples 45 552

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
×

Dissolved Oxygen Saturation

BOD, Biochemical oxygen demand

Units: mg/l Year
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 5.0 12.7
Mean 2.02 2.44 2.07852
Low 1.26 1.00
No. of Samples 48 145

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Color

Units: PCU Year
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 200.0
Mean 54.6 28.46829
Low 10.00
No. of Samples 0 134

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Ammonia + Ammonium as N

Units: mg/L Year
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 0.2 1.9
Mean 0.01 0.01 0.19443867
Low 0.00 0.00
No. of Samples 58 259

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Kjeldahl

Units: mg/L Year
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 1.2 6.3
Mean 0.64 0.87 0.98124634
Low 0.363 0.05
No. of Samples 48 248

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Nitrite + Nitrate as N

Units: mg/L Year
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 0.9 3.3
Mean 0.05 0.08 0.37816057
Low 0.004 0.004
No. of Samples 44 207

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

pH

Units: None Year
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 8.2 8.8
Mean 7.89 7.6 0.40742
Low 7.60 4.90
No. of Samples 38 2,805

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Salinity

Units: PSS Year
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 36.7 45.0
Mean 29.82 5.89 15.35189
Low 18.36 0.00
No. of Samples 45 2,856

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Specific conductance

Units: umho Year
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 55,341.0 55,760.0
Mean 46029.19 7087.53 22624.97431
Low 29780.00 320.00
No. of Samples 45 2,669

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Temperature, water

Units: deg F Year
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 90.5 95.5
Mean 76.96 74.53 6.05847
Low 63.05 49.10
No. of Samples 34 3,004

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Turbidity

Units: NTU Year
2014		 Historical
period of record
High 15.0 31.3
Mean 4.83 3.78 3.39031
Low 1.40 0.62
No. of Samples 48 514

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