The Ferriday Board of Aldermen held an emergency meeting Monday to address a broken sewer line.

The pipe along the 200 block of Woodland Drive broke last week, Mayor Gene Allen said, but the town wanted to understand what the problem was before they replaced it.

“We didn’t know what was wrong,” Allen said. “We thought maybe it could be fixed.”

It turned out the pipe needed replacing, and fast, he said.

“If we don’t get it fixed, we’re going to have (sewage) on the streets,” Allen said. “It’s an extreme emergency for sanitation, health and everyone’s wellbeing. It’s not something we can put off.”

The break in the pipe means sewage can’t go past a certain point at a manhole on Woodland Drive. Every other day, the sewage has to be pumped out by truck. If it isn’t, it could back up into people’s houses, Allen said.

He said he had received one estimate of $18,000 for a company to replace the pipe and hook up houses to the new line.

The board approved the repair at Monday’s meeting.

Sewer contractor William McKeel said the pipe’s collapse wasn’t a surprise.

“Those lines are 60 years old,” McKeel said. “We’re not talking young lines. The sewer gas ate the concrete up.”

Other areas in town have deteriorating sewer lines, but that was the worst, Allen said.

“We’ve got a lot of bad places, but this one has gotten to be an emergency,” he said.

The town was in the process of trying to get a grant to fix other problem places, Allen said, but they didn’t have the funds yet.

Also at the meeting, the board voted to replace the air dryer at the water plant.

The machine removes moisture from the air in the very damp environment, Water Supervisor Gregory Griggs said.

The machine was installed in 2002, he said, and the town has been continuously repairing parts over the past few years.

“We ought to go ahead and cut our losses and replace it,” Griggs said.

Allen said the town had received a quote for about $1,469 to replace the machine.

“We want to make sure we’ve got good water,” Allen said. “It’s time to replace it.”

The board agreed, voting to install a new machine.

The next regular meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. March 13.