Whitaker Bayou Condition Report for 2011

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 »

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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
2011		 Historical
period of record
High 59.50 59.50
Mean 2.4622 1.9723 6.37838
Low 0.449 0.00
No. of Samples 108 345

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Pass

Nitrogen, Total

Score: Pass
Units: mg/L Year
2011		 Historical
period of record
High 2.10 15.76
Mean 0.8894 0.8971 1.80447574
Low 0.494 0.30
No. of Samples 36 248

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Pass

Phosphorus, Total

Score: Pass
Units: mg/L Year
2011		 Historical
period of record
High 0.836 2.38
Mean 0.3399 0.3117 0.25409388
Low 0.111 0.082
No. of Samples 108 387

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 210.60 210.60
Mean 114.07 84.51 42.53202
Low 75.60 7.0588
No. of Samples 112 504

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

BOD, Biochemical oxygen demand

Units: mg/l Year
2011		 Historical
period of record
High 2.69 175.00
Mean 0.98 0.97 21.671
Low 0.50 0.50
No. of Samples 108 336

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Color

Units: PCU Year
2011		 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
2011		 Historical
period of record
High 0.417 30.06
Mean 0.04 0.03 2.64258854
Low 0.008 0.0001
No. of Samples 108 441

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Kjeldahl

Units: mg/L Year
2011		 Historical
period of record
High 1.40 15.36
Mean 0.76 0.79 1.34600272
Low 0.475 0.20
No. of Samples 108 430

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Nitrite + Nitrate as N

Units: mg/L Year
2011		 Historical
period of record
High 1.02 1.02
Mean 0.09 0.07 0.16609955
Low 0.004 0.00
No. of Samples 108 398

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

pH

Units: None Year
2011		 Historical
period of record
High 8.41 11.77
Mean 8.06 7.67 0.39351
Low 7.74 6.10
No. of Samples 42 649

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Salinity

Units: PSS Year
2011		 Historical
period of record
High 0.42 20.48
Mean 0.31 0.41 1.11553
Low 0.16 0.00
No. of Samples 42 519

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Specific conductance

Units: umho Year
2011		 Historical
period of record
High 860.00 48983.00
Mean 636.15 629.68 4407.17723
Low 326.00 0.524
No. of Samples 42 698

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Temperature, water

Units: deg F Year
2011		 Historical
period of record
High 88.61 91.40
Mean 78.22 68.25 9.4229
Low 67.208 14.018
No. of Samples 28 627

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Turbidity

Units: NTU Year
2011		 Historical
period of record
High 56.40 56.40
Mean 2.86 3.51 5.9861
Low 0.81 0.55
No. of Samples 108 454

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

Chlorophyll a

Units: ug/l Year
2011		 Historical
period of record
High 120.0
Mean 9.402 23.05241
Low 0.50
No. of Samples 0 51

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.

Nitrogen, Total

We were unable to determine a trend for the data available.
Units: mg/L Year
2011		 Historical
period of record
High 7.0
Mean 1.3876 1.73028028
Low 0.054
No. of Samples 0 81

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
×

Nitrogen, Total

Phosphorus, Total

We were unable to determine a trend for the data available.
Units: mg/L Year
2011		 Historical
period of record
High 2.0
Mean 0.371 0.51430974
Low 0.04
No. of Samples 0 98

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
2011		 Historical
period of record
High 102.5 381.3
Mean 61.13 63.94 31.23405
Low 37.8532 0.00
No. of Samples 14 451

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
×

Dissolved Oxygen Saturation

BOD, Biochemical oxygen demand

Units: mg/l Year
2011		 Historical
period of record
High 7.8
Mean 2.86 2.08087
Low 1.00
No. of Samples 0 38

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Color

Units: PCU Year
2011		 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
2011		 Historical
period of record
High 1.9
Mean 0.02 0.25814889
Low 0.00
No. of Samples 0 142

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Kjeldahl

Units: mg/L Year
2011		 Historical
period of record
High 6.3
Mean 1.05 1.20658552
Low 0.05
No. of Samples 0 141

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Nitrite + Nitrate as N

Units: mg/L Year
2011		 Historical
period of record
High 3.3
Mean 0.12 0.48158949
Low 0.004
No. of Samples 0 104

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

pH

Units: None Year
2011		 Historical
period of record
High 7.9 8.8
Mean 6.89 7.6 0.41002
Low 4.90 4.90
No. of Samples 7 2,712

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Salinity

Units: PSS Year
2011		 Historical
period of record
High 33.9 45.0
Mean 31.76 5.56 15.43449
Low 27.20 0.00
No. of Samples 14 2,755

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Specific conductance

Units: umho Year
2011		 Historical
period of record
High 55,760.0
Mean 6608.12 22610.4316
Low 320.00
No. of Samples 0 2,570

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Temperature, water

Units: deg F Year
2011		 Historical
period of record
High 87.6 95.5
Mean 78.24 74.45 5.95921
Low 61.34 49.10
No. of Samples 14 2,932

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Turbidity

Units: NTU Year
2011		 Historical
period of record
High 4.6 31.3
Mean 2.68 3.53 3.52743
Low 2.00 0.62
No. of Samples 7 407

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