Continued flooding concerns residents near Lake Manatee

Jason Thurber spent $11,000 to repair his driveway after Hurricane Debby tore open the creek that runs underneath it.

Two weeks later on Aug. 20, a 45-minute rain storm washed away most of that work. The situation for Thurber and his neighbors on Waterline Road only worsened as the rain continued.

At the land use meeting on Aug. 22, Deputy County Administrator Evan Pilachowski reported widespread rainfall around Lake Manatee of 3 to 4 inches and 6 to 8 inches in isolated areas, all within 36 hours.

He noted the soils were already saturated. The stormwater ponds were full, and the culverts were running at capacity.

“When we have that significant rainfall on top of a very saturated stormwater system, that water really doesn’t have anywhere to go,” Pilachowski said. “There’s been some flooding along Waterline Road and Dam Road, that’s part of the system just being saturated and overloaded.”

With recent concerns raised about the integrity of the Lake Manatee Dam, Pilachowski stressed that residents should not fear a dam breach. However, he said it would be “prudent” to lower Lake Manatee’s water level.