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
2011
Historical
period of record
High 41.40 115.00
Mean 3.5603 3.6718 10.49763
Low 0.50 0.00
No. of Samples 336 1,345

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Pass

Nitrogen, Total

Score: Pass
Units: mg/L Year
2011
Historical
period of record
High 3.74 19.23
Mean 1.1073 1.223 1.65260891
Low 0.383 0.144
No. of Samples 108 1,391

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Pass

Phosphorus, Total

Score: Pass
Units: mg/L Year
2011
Historical
period of record
High 2.00 7.36
Mean 0.4888 0.449 0.43125892
Low 0.089 0.034
No. of Samples 324 1,827

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
2011
Historical
period of record
High 247.50 247.50
Mean 100.88 67.3 33.33889
Low 38.657 0.00
No. of Samples 428 2,298

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

BOD, Biochemical oxygen demand

Units: mg/l Year
2011
Historical
period of record
High 16.40 21.30
Mean 1.41 1.34 2.13523
Low 0.50 0.071
No. of Samples 311 1,215

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Color

Units: PCU Year
2011
Historical
period of record
High 350.00
Mean 64.28 42.64594
Low 0.00
No. of Samples 0 990

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Escherichia coli

Units: MPN/100ml Year
2011
Historical
period of record
High 3400.00
Mean 234.88 954.33575
Low 26.00
No. of Samples 0 19

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Ammonia + Ammonium as N

Units: mg/L Year
2011
Historical
period of record
High 1.64 6.696
Mean 0.08 0.02 0.27209837
Low 0.005 0.00
No. of Samples 324 2,135

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Kjeldahl

Units: mg/L Year
2011
Historical
period of record
High 2.59 17.56
Mean 0.85 0.9 0.957161
Low 0.341 0.002
No. of Samples 324 2,177

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Nitrite + Nitrate as N

Units: mg/L Year
2011
Historical
period of record
High 1.30 7.556
Mean 0.2 0.18 0.4735436
Low 0.004 0.00
No. of Samples 324 1,804

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

pH

Units: None Year
2011
Historical
period of record
High 8.60 9.61
Mean 7.64 7.42 0.36938
Low 7.00 3.90
No. of Samples 275 2,627

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Salinity

Units: PSS Year
2011
Historical
period of record
High 0.50 19.24
Mean 0.29 0.32 0.75629
Low 0.05 0.00
No. of Samples 251 1,574

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Specific conductance

Units: umho Year
2011
Historical
period of record
High 1013.00 51500.00
Mean 610.78 574.54 1223.81772
Low 109.00 0.369
No. of Samples 287 3,275

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Temperature, water

Units: deg F Year
2011
Historical
period of record
High 86.864 94.82
Mean 72.1 72.06 8.48444
Low 46.958 46.40
No. of Samples 198 2,207

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Turbidity

Units: NTU Year
2011
Historical
period of record
High 44.00 112.00
Mean 3.82 3.99 7.13864
Low 0.80 0.091
No. of Samples 324 2,063

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
2011
Historical
period of record
High 19.4 99.1
Mean 6.2232 7.7437 10.66002
Low 0.25 0.25
No. of Samples 36 161

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Pass

Nitrogen, Total

Trend analysis shows a weak decreasing trend.
Score: Pass
Units: mg/L Year
2011
Historical
period of record
High 1.8 8.9
Mean 0.86 1.0515 1.60538449
Low 0.645 0.131
No. of Samples 12 172

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Pass

Phosphorus, Total

Trend analysis shows a weak decreasing trend.
Score: Pass
Units: mg/L Year
2011
Historical
period of record
High 0.5 2.2
Mean 0.2836 0.326 0.27141542
Low 0.194 0.084
No. of Samples 36 230

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
2011
Historical
period of record
High 130.4 210.0
Mean 69.84 67.84 22.6372
Low 32.7582 26.80
No. of Samples 37 250

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

BOD, Biochemical oxygen demand

Units: mg/l Year
2011
Historical
period of record
High 2.8 7.5
Mean 1.74 1.71 0.98038
Low 1.31 0.50
No. of Samples 34 141

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Color

Units: PCU Year
2011
Historical
period of record
High 280.0
Mean 52.1 42.4551
Low 15.00
No. of Samples 0 118

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Ammonia + Ammonium as N

Units: mg/L Year
2011
Historical
period of record
High 0.3 0.9
Mean 0.09 0.02 0.10053868
Low 0.008 0.00
No. of Samples 36 267

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Kjeldahl

Units: mg/L Year
2011
Historical
period of record
High 1.4 3.1
Mean 0.77 0.8 0.4143758
Low 0.592 0.07
No. of Samples 36 275

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Nitrite + Nitrate as N

Units: mg/L Year
2011
Historical
period of record
High 0.3 1.1
Mean 0.08 0.08 0.18014824
Low 0.015 0.00
No. of Samples 36 224

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

pH

Units: None Year
2011
Historical
period of record
High 7.4 8.2
Mean 6.89 7.7 0.32137
Low 6.32 5.58
No. of Samples 24 1,813

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Salinity

Units: PSS Year
2011
Historical
period of record
High 29.6 37.5
Mean 17.49 14.18 11.43216
Low 2.25 0.00
No. of Samples 24 2,243

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Specific conductance

Units: umho Year
2011
Historical
period of record
High 45,985.0 53,490.0
Mean 28298.29 19902.29 16109.95385
Low 4269.00 8.083
No. of Samples 24 1,890

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Temperature, water

Units: deg F Year
2011
Historical
period of record
High 89.4 91.4
Mean 78.62 75.34 5.71074
Low 65.75 49.10
No. of Samples 16 1,794

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Turbidity

Units: NTU Year
2011
Historical
period of record
High 8.5 18.0
Mean 3.63 3.64 2.28435
Low 2.20 1.30
No. of Samples 36 250

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 2011 128 107 235 46

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