BRADENTON, Fla. — The utilities director and deputy administrators for Manatee County will be leading a tour Wednesday of the Lake Manatee Dam in hopes of answering questions about dam operations in light of recent flooding.

County staff plans to show journalists how the dam works and what happens when there’s a large influx in rainwater in a short period of time.

Questions regarding the handling of the Lake Manatee Dam surfaced after hundreds of residents reported their homes flooded during Hurricane Debby. Officials with Manatee County say during the heavy rains, some of the plugs that help keep the reservoir from breaking dissolved and released water into the spillway.

Residents who were affected in Parrish, Lakewood Ranch and the areas surrounding Lake Manatee want answers as to what could have been done to prevent their homes from going under water. Some residents claim they received little to no warning that their homes could be affected.

During an Aug. 27 county commission meeting, Deputy County Administrator Evan Pilachowski explained that the reservoir is designed to hold 6 billion gallons of water and throughout the hurricane, 18 billion gallons flowed through it.

“The 6 billion gallon reservoir is simply not big enough to act as the water supply reservoir and a storm retention reservoir,” he stated. “There’s no way to put 18 billion gallons in a 6 billion gallon container.”

Natural Resources Director, Charlie Hunsicker, called the amount of rain an unusual event and said the dam worked as designed.

“All of those systems were not designed for a 17-inch rainfall event, and what we’ve seen are astronomical consequences when the river finally rose to a flood bank that was not mapped,” Hunsicker said. “17 inches of rain… I can’t help but say it more and more.”

Some residents feel the amount of development in the area is what is causing the problem because there’s nowhere for the water to go. Michele English, a lifelong resident, hopes the county will pause on issuing new permits for subdivisions until they get a better plan on how to handle an influx of rain.

“We need to do that so we don’t encounter this again. There have been too many families who have lost everything and we aren’t even in a flood zone. That’s the kicker to the whole thing — we’re not in a flood zone and we’ve been flooded like this,” English said.

Pilachowski says a third party investigation will help determine the underlying causes of the recent flooding and the county is working to update inundation maps for structures downstream of the dam.