The Town of Ferriday is facing a serious decision — how to fix the most basic of town services once and for all.

For more than a decade, the town’s water system has been sketchy at best, dangerous at worst. The system is currently under a boil-water notice.

Problems with the town’s water system have simply gone on far too long. No matter how forgotten the town of Ferriday may be for some parish and state leaders, it’s beyond an emergency at this point and it needs immediate attention.

The water system is an example of government apathy spiraling into lower and lower depths of despair.

A town is only good as its citizens and the leaders they elect. Ferriday Mayor Glen McGlothin appears to be genuinely working to get the problems fixed and we appreciate that. But the mayor likely cannot do it alone.

Parish and state leaders need to put their heads together and come up with a better plan for helping the town get the situation fixed once and for all.

Can the town get its water from another source and simply get out of the water business entirely?

Maybe the outside provider could actually make money on the system if it were setup and operated correctly.

Our country put a man on the moon, split the atom and has made incredible strides in medical care.

But we’re still struggling to provide clean water to the citizens of Ferriday. Something is wrong with the system there and it needs to be fixed once and for all.