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.

Lake Manatee is the source of drinking water for Manatee County residents, so the staff has to consider the levels carefully. The reservoir has to be high enough to sustain citizens throughout the county and be low enough to keep residents downriver out of danger. 

The county made direct contact with 14 residents downriver on Aug. 21 because at about 7 p.m., the rainfall was increasing the flow into Lake Manatee at a rate of 3,500 cubic feet per second, which is the rate that starts impacting residents downriver. 

“We made direct communication with all 14 of those property owners, and shortly thereafter, the flows continued to increase rapidly where we were looking at 5,000 to 6,000 (cubic feet per second),” Pilachowski said. “It was not an active release. We are simply monitoring the flows in the Manatee River leading into Lake Manatee to at least provide some prior notification to those properties where we know there have been historic impacts.” 

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Through social media, Pilachowski said the county identified additional homeowners who were also experiencing flooding. While the county is being more proactive with their communications post-storm, residents complain that the dam is not the only issue affecting flooding. 

"The county is not being accurate," Waterline Road resident Mark Vanderee said. "Sand Branch Creek is overloaded, but it is due 100% to upstream issues."

Thurber’s property is on Waterline Road, but it sits on the other side of the spillway and is not impacted by water releases. 

While the county blames heavy rain events for the flooding, Thurber and several of his neighbors blame new developments in the area. Thurber estimates that they're raised about 4 to 5 feet higher than his property. 

“Everything is pitched this way with nowhere else to go,” Thurber said. “We had to move our horses because the stalls were flooded again.” 

Ryan Homes at Hillwood Preserve is across the street to the north of Thurber’s property, and Palm Grove is being built to the south. He said he hasn’t contacted the developers. His reasoning is that since the county approved the projects, it’s not the developers’ responsibility to fix the flooding. It’s the county’s responsibility. 

Thurber wants the county to establish an easement for his property, so county staff will have to maintain the creek from now on. Bill Logan, the information outreach manager for the county, said the county has no authority over Thurber’s property, and he needs to speak with the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

“Waterline Road and Dam Road are flooded like never before — one end to the other,” 30-year Dam Road resident Chris McGuinness said on Aug. 21. “The flooding started as soon as the rain started. It’s never been this bad.”

Vanderee worries the road will eventually wash out, which could affect the water supply pipes that run underneath Waterline Road. 

Pilachowski confirmed that the water pipes are under the road and could feasibly be washed out but said the staff is continually monitoring the area for any impacts and the pipes are not at risk at this time.

Thurber’s driveway is still passable, but he’s been advised not to use it because it could collapse again. 

Sinkholes left on his property from the storm continue to expand with each rain event. Sand Branch Creek, which divides his property in two, rose from about a foot of water to about 5 or 6 feet of water.

“We lost a whole other wall of the creek,“ Thurber said. “(Debby) was called a 100-year storm, but it's two weeks later. Now, what is it?”