As local officials released water from the Lake Manatee Dam to manage rising reservoir levels during Tropical Storm Debby, residents felt they were left with little warning to prepare for the flooding.
Now, Manatee County officials are using a real-time data monitoring system, implemented after the dam flood, to help prevent similar situations by giving them more time to anticipate rising waters, plan dam releases and notify residents before the next major storm.
“What we want to try to do is minimize any impacts of our operations on people downstream,” said Patrick Shea, Manatee County’s director of utilities…