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New State Budget Includes $468K For Century Water Well Upgrades
June 3, 2021
The $101.5 billion budget signed Wednesday by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis includes funding for water well upgrades in Century.
The exact amount included in the Florida’s 2021-2022 budget for the Century water well project is $468,453 with no required matching funds.
Century has three water wells — two provide drinking water to the residents of Century and one provides water exclusively to the Century Correctional Institution.
The first well on Blackmon Street and was constructed in 1963 with a pumping capacity of 400 gallons per minute. The adjacent elevated tank has a capacity of 100,000 gallons.
The second well is on Academy street and was constructed in 1983. It has a pumping capacity of 500 gallons per minute and an elevated tank with a half million gallon capacity. The well had been out of service for over a year before being placed back in service in August 2020 only to fail again. As of June 2, it remained out of service.
The third well was constructed at the prison in 1983 and can pump 400 gallons a minute with 200,000 gallon elevated storage tank. The well failed in May 2020, and the water supply to the prison was restored through an interconnect to Central Water Works.
As of earlier this year when Century asked for state help, the town had spent $353,360.47 so far for repairs to the three wells and the interconnect to Central Water Works. The funding in this year’s state budget includes $107,000 for repairs and wellhouse rehabilitations at the Academy Street well, $90,00 for repairs at the Blackmon Street well, and $210,350 for work at the prison well and a permanent generator.
The money was part of local funding requests submitted by Rep. Michelle Salzman and Sen. Doug Broxson.
Pictured: Water flows into the Century Correctional Institution in May 2020 following the failure of a Century water well. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
3 Responses to “New State Budget Includes $468K For Century Water Well Upgrades”
Thanks for the article… glad the county was able to sponsor the management of the project to ensure it’s success.
So, the state is going to step in, and repair equipment owned by the town. Equipment that has been neglected and ran to failure; equipment that should have been taken care of with the revenue it generated. Then the state is going to pay the town for the water that is used by the prison.
That well at the prison is a great source of income for the town, probably their number one cash cow, and part of that income should be going back into maintenance and repairs but apparently that is not the case. As long as the town squanders and mismanages its own money I am content to sit back and be silent but when they start dipping into state funds, I just cannot be silent. It is time that the water system and the sewage system are turned over to responsible people and or organization that will run them and maintain them.
Both systems, if not maintained properly, can have a negative impact on the resident’s health, as well as the environment. The town has clearly demonstrated that they are unable, or unwilling, to operate and maintain these two systems without the state stepping in and bailing them out with taxpayer’s money. It is time for the games to end, and these systems placed in the hands of competent individuals that can and will manage and operate them like they should.
Please before you start attacking, I am not calling out the employees of the town, many of which I know and respect. This is not an employee, worker, problem. The problem is at the management level. It appears these systems along with the gas and garbage services have become a political tool used to win elections.
I do not live in the town so I can’t vote but I do pay state taxes, and I should a voice, so I am expressing my point and dislike for the way this town has been managed. Time for a change!!
Great! More money for the Town of Century to use for their personal expenses.