Century to Receive $75,000 State Grant to Modernize Drinking Water System

The Town of Century is set to receive $75,000 in state funding to develop a hydraulic model of its municipal drinking water system, part of a broader $8.8 million push by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to support small and rural communities across the state.

The grant is one of several awarded to 12 small and rural communities in Northwest Florida through the Small Cities Community Development Block Grant Program and the Community Planning Technical Assistance Grant Program. State officials say the funding is intended to shore up local infrastructure, strengthen community resiliency and promote long-term economic growth in areas that often lack the tax base to fund major capital projects on their own.

What the Money Will Do

In Century's case, the $75,000 award will pay for a hydraulic model of the town's municipal water system. A hydraulic model is essentially a digital simulation of how water moves through a community's pipes, tanks and pumps under various conditions, including peak demand and fire-flow events. Utilities use the models to identify weak points, plan upgrades and make sure the system can reliably deliver clean water to homes and businesses without pressure loss or contamination risk.

For a small town like Century, this kind of engineering study can be prohibitively expensive without outside help, making the state grant a meaningful step toward long-term water system planning.

Other Communities Sharing in the Funding

Century was not the only Northwest Florida community to benefit. The City of Freeport in Walton County also received $75,000 through the same round of funding. Freeport's award will go toward updating the city's comprehensive plan to support long-term industrial and commercial development, helping local leaders map out how the community grows in the years ahead.

Altogether, the state distributed nearly $8.8 million across the 12 communities, with each project tailored to local needs, from infrastructure upgrades to long-range planning work.

Why the Grant Programs Matter

The Small Cities Community Development Block Grant Program and the Community Planning Technical Assistance Grant Program are designed specifically to help smaller municipalities that might otherwise struggle to compete for state and federal infrastructure dollars. By funding engineering studies, planning documents and other groundwork, the programs aim to position rural communities to pursue larger construction grants down the road.

For Century, the hydraulic model represents a foundational step: before the town can seek funding for actual pipe replacements, pump upgrades or new water storage, officials need a clear picture of how the current system performs and where its vulnerabilities lie.

About Century

Century is the northernmost town in Escambia County, Florida, sitting on the Alabama state line directly across from Flomaton.