Christmas came early to the Town of Ferriday.

Approximately eight years after the town&8217;s water supply turned foul, causing a 124-day boil-water notice, some drops of clear justice have been served.

Settlement checks to both affected residents and the Town of Ferriday have begun flowing this week.

For residents the $325 checks are only a small token to offset the aggravation caused by not having clean water flowing from the tap for more than four months.

But for the Town of Ferriday, the nearly $600,000 in settlement funds will help pay off the debt on the troublesome Ferriday water plant and also free up the town to access more than $1 million in grant funding to upgrade or replace the plant.

Careful consideration should be placed in any plans to upgrade or replace the plant.

The water plant has been a boondoggle for the town for years. The &8220;gift&8221; should be invested in the future. Ferriday&8217;s residents should never again have to put up with the horrendous, third world issue of not having clean water to drink.

The settlement is truly a gift for the Town of Ferriday. Now the trick is for town leaders not to look the gift horse in the mouth.