Whitaker Bayou Condition Report for 2015

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
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 19.50 59.50
Mean 1.0457 1.8567 5.42451
Low 0.25 0.00
No. of Samples 24 555

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Pass

Nitrogen, Total

Score: Pass
Units: mg/L Year
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 1.89 15.76
Mean 1.2212 0.9013 1.59375481
Low 0.905 0.30
No. of Samples 4 322

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
Pass

Phosphorus, Total

Score: Pass
Units: mg/L Year
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 0.519 2.38
Mean 0.254 0.3071 0.23110045
Low 0.13 0.082
No. of Samples 24 573

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
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 91.90 262.30
Mean 71.89 85.45 42.42931
Low 36.00 7.0588
No. of Samples 17 683

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

BOD, Biochemical oxygen demand

Units: mg/l Year
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 11.20 175.00
Mean 0.76 0.88 17.62259
Low 0.50 0.50
No. of Samples 24 512

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Color

Units: PCU Year
2015		 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

Escherichia coli

Units: MPN/100ml Year
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 14136.00 14136.00
Mean 7354.35 7354.35 3195.7157
Low 3873.00 3873.00
No. of Samples 14 14

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Ammonia + Ammonium as N

Units: mg/L Year
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 0.155 30.06
Mean 0.02 0.02 2.19487539
Low 0.008 0.00
No. of Samples 24 642

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Kjeldahl

Units: mg/L Year
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 1.85 15.36
Mean 0.82 0.78 1.13480174
Low 0.641 0.20
No. of Samples 24 616

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Nitrite + Nitrate as N

Units: mg/L Year
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 0.424 1.02
Mean 0.21 0.08 0.15741585
Low 0.04 0.00
No. of Samples 24 587

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

pH

Units: None Year
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 7.91 11.77
Mean 7.54 7.68 0.37608
Low 7.28 6.10
No. of Samples 19 820

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Salinity

Units: PSS Year
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 0.63 20.48
Mean 0.44 0.39 0.97951
Low 0.15 0.00
No. of Samples 17 676

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Specific conductance

Units: umho Year
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 1253.00 49645.00
Mean 999.16 649.09 4335.7174
Low 727.00 0.524
No. of Samples 14 874

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Temperature, water

Units: deg F Year
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 84.596 91.40
Mean 73.85 69.09 9.37878
Low 63.914 14.018
No. of Samples 13 760

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Turbidity

Units: NTU Year
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 8.30 56.40
Mean 1.55 2.98 5.30314
Low 0.64 0.50
No. of Samples 24 639

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
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 117.0 120.0
Mean 10.8955 12.6513 23.74527
Low 0.38 0.38
No. of Samples 24 182

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
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 2.0 7.0
Mean 1.0764 1.1388 1.48806778
Low 0.63 0.054
No. of Samples 10 130

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
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 0.3 2.0
Mean 0.1185 0.2389 0.39951569
Low 0.081 0.038
No. of Samples 24 229

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
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 122.3 381.3
Mean 82.04 63.34 30.19727
Low 30.30 0.00
No. of Samples 17 569

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean
×

Dissolved Oxygen Saturation

BOD, Biochemical oxygen demand

Units: mg/l Year
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 11.0 12.7
Mean 2.53 2.45 2.20747
Low 0.543 0.543
No. of Samples 24 169

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Color

Units: PCU Year
2015		 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

Enterococcus Group Bacteria

Units: MPN/100ml Year
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 4,800.0 4,800.0
Mean 339.42 339.42 1657.78632
Low 130.00 130.00
No. of Samples 14 14

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Ammonia + Ammonium as N

Units: mg/L Year
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 0.2 1.9
Mean 0.03 0.01 0.18684241
Low 0.008 0.00
No. of Samples 24 283

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Kjeldahl

Units: mg/L Year
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 1.5 6.3
Mean 0.86 0.87 0.94230358
Low 0.59 0.05
No. of Samples 24 272

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Nitrogen, Nitrite + Nitrate as N

Units: mg/L Year
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 0.1 3.3
Mean 0.02 0.07 0.36348762
Low 0.004 0.004
No. of Samples 24 231

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

pH

Units: None Year
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 8.3 8.8
Mean 7.99 7.61 0.40735
Low 7.75 4.90
No. of Samples 21 2,826

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Salinity

Units: PSS Year
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 35.3 45.0
Mean 33.53 5.96 15.35466
Low 30.76 0.00
No. of Samples 21 2,877

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Specific conductance

Units: umho Year
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 53,740.0 55,760.0
Mean 51375.68 7161.17 22654.85573
Low 47200.00 320.00
No. of Samples 14 2,683

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Temperature, water

Units: deg F Year
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 92.7 95.5
Mean 74.54 74.53 6.08945
Low 62.24 49.10
No. of Samples 17 3,021

Five-year Rolling Average

  • Annual Mean

Turbidity

Units: NTU Year
2015		 Historical
period of record
High 7.8 31.3
Mean 4.92 3.83 3.33289
Low 3.50 0.62
No. of Samples 24 538

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