Emergency repairs have begun at the Lake Manatee Dam after inspections last month revealed surface cracks and signs of deterioration. Manatee County Commissioners recently approved $3 million in emergency funding to fast-track the repairs in light of what's expected to be an active hurricane season. Officials said the cracks were found during a professional engineer's inspection and were likely worsened by the intensity of last year's storms. They said the repairs are moving quickly, to complete all the work by August, well before peak storm activity and ahead of a larger set of capital upgrades planned for 2026. "The dam remains structurally intact, performing the features and the functions of what it is designed to do," Patrick Shea, Manatee County's utilities director, said. This is the first emergency funding request for the 61-year-old dam since 2021. The current repairs target damage discovered using ground-penetrating radar, which detected cracks, voids and weak spots in the dam's surface. "Those voids are, over time, wave action from the lake, lapping of the lake, and then just overall degradation of the dam over time," Shea explained. Officials say these repairs fall outside of the county's standard maintenance budget, prompting the need for emergency funding. "This is a $1 billion asset for the county, and routine, annual, and semi-annual maintenance happens throughout the year to make sure it remains operable for the county," Shea added. While officials emphasize the dam is not currently in danger, they're pushing forward with a proactive approach to minimize risk. The urgency is rooted in previous experience. During Hurricane Debby, the dam endured over 15 inches of rainfall in just a few hours, forcing water releases to prevent overflow. "The water level's about 37 feet when we start to get to 44 feet or so is when we have to release water through the gates, either the three mechanical gates or through the earthen gates," Shea said. Residents, especially those near the dam, recall the stress of past storms. Lisa Scherpf, who lives nearby, said last hurricane season was something she had never experienced. "Last hurricane was the first time in all the years that I've been here, we loaded up all the horses and went to Georgia," Scherpf recalled. Along with halting sprawling development that's taking over watersheds, Scherpf also called for better planning and more timely notifications, saying they would help residents better respond to future dam-related emergencies. "If they're maintaining the dam, great, but they should be at least releasing water when they know these rains are coming instead of waiting until right before a storm because by then, it's too late," she said. Public Works agrees there's no time to waste. With Lake Manatee serving as the region's primary drinking water source, protecting the dam is a top priority as the 2025 storm season progresses.