Save Our Canal

Neighbors are coming together to document sediment buildup, stop new runoff, and secure a fair plan to restore our canal.

Join the effort See what to do

A nonpartisan, neighbor-led effort. We follow the evidence.

Stylized editorial treatment of a neighborhood photograph showing shallow canal water, visible sediment, and docks along the shore — Baywood Canal after Hurricane Milton

Right now: Building the evidence and the neighborhood team.

Add your name

One shared plan

We need to stop the source and restore the canal.

Dredging is only a lasting solution when new sediment is controlled. Our work moves on two tracks at once.

Document & prevent

Map outfalls, collect dated observations, review permits and inspections, and report active sediment discharges.

Public records request
Construction runoff reporting
Independent depth/sediment assessment

Restore & protect

Press for a scoped, permitted, and funded restoration plan with responsibility assigned based on the facts.

County staff briefing
Public agency roundtable
Dredging and long-term maintenance plan

What public records show

This waterway already has a public history.

County and state records show years of work in the Klosterman Bayou system. They establish context and questions to answer—not responsibility for today’s sediment.

Use every relevant name in records requests: Baywood Village Canal · Westwinds Canal · Crosswinds Canal · Klosterman Bayou watershed

2008–10

County nutrient-source evaluation

Pinellas County commissioned a study of Klosterman Bayou and Joe’s Creek. It monitored the Innisbrook Canal/weir and described a history of elevated nutrients in the central watershed.

Read the County report

2021–25

County watershed-management plan

Public Works commissioned a Klosterman Bayou Watershed Management Plan, contract 190-0353-NC. Ask what it concluded for Baywood Village’s finger canals and which recommendations were adopted.

See the County planning process

2020–24

County work at nearby canal crossings

Pinellas replaced bridges over the named Westwinds and Crosswinds canals. Project 000700A/000702A gives the group a precise starting point for construction and compliance records.

View bridge project details

Ongoing

State water-quality review

FDEP has addressed bacteria and nutrient conditions in the larger Klosterman Bayou Run system. These records do not assess sediment buildup, but they support a need for coordinated water-quality attention.

Read the FDEP TMDL

The unanswered question

No public dredging or sediment study found—yet.

Our search did not locate a public bathymetric survey, sediment-removal project, or enforcement action specifically for this canal. That is why the next step is a targeted records request.

Build the visual record

See the canal change over time.

Historical imagery can show visible changes and help identify questions for inspection. It cannot, by itself, establish a sediment source or responsibility.

Start here

Pinellas County aerial imagery

Use the County’s AIRS viewer for current and historic high-detail aerials. The PAIRS archive provides downloadable historic imagery dating back to 1926.

Open County imagery Flexible timeline

Google Earth Pro

Search the canal, then use the historical-imagery clock to move through available dates. Coverage is helpful but not guaranteed every year.

Get Google Earth Pro Watershed context

USGS EarthExplorer

Use Landsat for longer-term changes across the watershed and upstream development—not detailed proof in a narrow canal.

Explore USGS imagery

Take action today

Every neighbor has a useful role.

Most important

Join the neighborhood list

Add your support and choose a way you can help. We’ll send only essential updates and meeting notices.

When you see runoff

Document it safely

From public property only, take wide and close photos/video. Note date, time, weather, location, and where water enters the canal.

Make your voice count

Send a focused request

Ask the County for ownership, drainage, permit, inspection, sediment-assessment, and restoration-plan information.

Build momentum

Bring one neighbor

Forward this site to someone who lives along the canal or uses it. A broad, factual group carries more weight.

Need to report silty water or possible sediment runoff? Use the SWFWMD Regulatory Inquiry Form.

A ready-to-use request

Ask for facts, permits, and next steps.

In the form, choose “File a Complaint – Alleged Construction without a Permit, Turbid/Silty Water, Sedimentation/Material/Debris being discharged on your property/Moving Dirt.” Use your own observation details and do not name a cause unless you have evidence.

Open the SWFWMD form

Description of inquiry

I am requesting SWFWMD review of potential sedimentation and stormwater-runoff impacts to the tidal canal behind homes near Gulfwinds Drive in Palm Harbor. Residents have observed shallow sediment accumulation and turbid or silty water conditions.

This inquiry does not allege that any specific person, project, or property caused these conditions. Please identify any relevant active or recent permits, inspections, complaints, enforcement records, or compliance requirements affecting this canal and its contributing drainage area. Please advise whether SWFWMD can inspect the area or coordinate with Pinellas County and Florida DEP, and provide a case number and recommended next steps.

Location: Tidal canal behind and near Gulfwinds Drive, Palm Harbor, within the Klosterman Bayou watershed. Relevant names may include Baywood Village Canal, Westwinds Canal, and Crosswinds Canal.

The right doors

We coordinate with the agencies that can act.

County operationsPinellas County Public WorksReport sediment/runoff issues · PublicWorks@pinellas.gov · (727) 464-8900 County leadershipCommissioner Dave Eggers, District 4deggers@pinellas.gov · (727) 464-3276 Water permitsSouthwest Florida Water Management DistrictEnvironmental Resource Permit questions and regulatory inquiries Environmental complianceFlorida DEP, Southwest DistrictCitizen concerns · (813) 470-5700

Additional resources

Bring in the right partner at the right time.

Planning & fundingTampa Bay Estuary ProgramFor technical context, restoration partnerships, and future funding options. Grants generally require an eligible organization or partner. State stewardshipDEP Aquatic PreservesAsk about receiving-water connections, habitat considerations, and stewardship context for a restoration plan. Federal permittingU.S. Army Corps of EngineersConsult before a defined dredging or dredged-material plan moves forward in federally regulated waters. Wildlife incidentFlorida Fish and Wildlife Conservation CommissionUse for fish kills, diseased or abnormal fish, or a wildlife-health event—not sediment buildup alone.

For an active spill or environmental emergency, call the State Watch Office at 1-800-320-0519. This group does not make findings of fault; agencies and records do.

Open by design

What we are tracking.

Now

Organize neighbors

Collect supporters, establish the evidence log, and choose a small steering team.

Request records & inspections

Identify ownership, drainage connections, permits, and prior maintenance plans.

Then

Public agency meeting

Seek a written assessment, corrective-action schedule, and funding path.

Add your voice

The canal needs a neighborhood behind it.

Sign up to receive campaign updates, meeting invitations, and specific ways to help. Your information stays with this local effort.

Use our shared sign-up form to receive updates and choose how you would like to help. Responses are available to the organizers of this local effort.

Open the sign-up form

The form opens in a new tab and is managed by Baywood Canal Restoration organizers.