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In Depth: Century’s Water Supply To Century Prison Failed. Here’s What Happened, What Century Planned And What’s Next.

A 30-year old Town of Century water well was the only water supply for the 1,300 or so prisoners at Century Correctional Institution, and there was no backup source for water. The well pump was some 30 years old, estimated to have pumped some two trillion gallons of water to the prison.

Town officials and the town council were aware the pump had not been properly maintained in the past, and last fall the council gave preliminary approval to connecting their water system at the prison to a neighboring water franchise as a backup. That would allow Century’s well to be taken out of service for much needed maintenance. The agreement was finalized in April, and parts were ordered. They arrived just before the pump failed last Thursday, leaving the prison without a water supply.

Friday afternoon, an emergency interconnect using two, two-inch fire hoses was made from Central Water Works fire hydrants on the south side of Tedder Road to the Town of Century’s fire hydrants on the north side of the road. That, according to Century Interim City Manager Vernon Prather was supplying adequate water to the prison.

Inmates were provided with bottled water until it could be determined that the water was safe to drink after flowing through fire hoses.

But the pressure on the Central Water Works system is higher than that of Century’s system. That caused a 10-inch water main on prison property to break, leaving the prison without any water during the repair.

A portable water supply and temporary restroom facilities arrived over the weekend. The temporary portable toilets were not conducive to the state’s security protocols for close supervision inmates, so 190 of those prisoners were transferred out of Century Correctional on Sunday to other unnamed facilities.

The broken water main on prison property was repaired by Monday afternoon, and water service restored from the emergency connection to Central Water Works, according to Florida Senator Doug Broxson. Inmates were still being provided bottle water.

What is happening now?

In a November 2019 memo presented to the town council, Prather said the well at prison “needs major maintenance and should be repaired as soon as possible”, and he stated the well was delivering 320 gallons per minute (GPM).  By last week, the well’s output fell from 200 to just 80 gallons per minute before it was taken out of service. Water in the town’s elevated storage tank at the prison continued to supply some water into Friday.

“We believe the original output was 400 GPM when the well was constructed in 1990,” Prather said Monday.

A contractor, Layne Christensen Company, has been working since Thursday to determine the condition of the well and the repair process needed.

The contractor has removed the well pump and a 200-foot discharge pipe from a 350-foot casing. A video inspection on Saturday revealed that screens were completely submerged with sand. A second video inspection is planned for Tuesday.

“This inspection should indicate whether the well is repairable, or if a new well will need to be constructed. A repair would be measured in weeks,” Prather said. The shortest estimate for a repair is two weeks. “A replacement would require several months.”

There was also sand found in the well pump.

Prather estimated that if a well must be totally replaced, it will cost the town between $200,000 and $300,000.

Tedder Road from Highway 29 to the prison is closed due to the fire hoses across the road and construction.

Town Council Planned Ahead. But It Was A Little Too Late.

It was less than a month ago that the Central Town Council gave final approval for a permanent water system interconnect to Central Water Works — an interconnect that would work essentially the same way at the emergency fire hose method currently in effect.  The council had conceptually approved the plan back in November but legal fine points had to be negotiated by lawyers for the two entities.

Century currently has no interconnection with any other water system except their own system. The Central Water Works connection would provide the town with a backup for their water supply in the event of an emergency or the need to make a major repair.

Parts and supplies for the interconnection were already ordered and delivered, allowing the construction to begin this week.

The permanent interconnect will be along Tedder Road near the prison. Under the proposed agreement, the town would use Central’s water supply only in the event of an emergency, and the town would be required to submit a service deposit if the interconnect is operated and pay $2.50 per 1,000 gallons used. It would take a representative from both utilities with a key to open the connection.

Century typically would not be able to provide significant amounts of water back to Central due to elevation and pressure issues, according to the town.

The town will pay for the interconnect equipment and meter at an estimated cost of about $60,000 to $70,000, plus engineering work estimated at $22,500.

Central is also proposing to make equipment and personnel available to Century on a non-emergency, as-needed basis to repair or replace water lines, replacing water meters and other services. For instance, Central would charge Century $45 an hour for a licensed water operator, $25 an hour for an assistant, a mini excavator at $85 an hour, a work truck at $15 an hour and other hourly rates for additional equipment.

Central Water Works was founded in 1965 and provides water for about 1,000 members in Byrneville, McDavid and outside the municipal service areas of Century and Flomaton.

The Town of Century’s well at Century Correctional Institution only serves the prison and does not provide water for the town. The prison is located just outside town limits, but it is in Century’s water, sewer and natural gas franchise area.