Manatee County to celebrate 50th anniversary of Lake Manatee Dam on Oct. 23

MANATEE -- Manatee County will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Lake Manatee Dam next week.

At 11 a.m. Oct. 23, the public is invited to a celebration that will "commemorate the 50th anniversary of the groundbreaking for county's drinking water supply, Lake Manatee," according to a news release. The dam is located at 17915 Waterline Road.

During the celebration, the community will join county commissioners and staff for lunch, tours and the unveiling of a historical marker. The marker honors the "1965 Board of County Commissioners who moved forward with a plan to build the water supply that today is the primary drinking water source for more than 250,000 people," according to the release.

Manatee County broke ground on what is today Lake Manatee in October 1965. Lake Manatee covers about 1,800 acres, holding 7.5 billion gallons of water, according to the release.

"Lake Manatee is a valuable asset for Manatee County," the county's utilities director Mike Gore said in the release. "We are extremely fortunate to have a primary source of water that will meet our needs for years to come."

While the event is open to the public, all attendees must RSVP for the event due to homeland security issues and required background checks. To RSVO, call 941-798-6745.

Claire Aronson, Manatee County reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7024. Follow her on Twitter@Claire_Aronson.

This story was originally published October 12, 2015 at 5:42 PM with the headline "Manatee County to celebrate 50th anniversary of Lake Manatee Dam on Oct. 23 ."