FERRIDAY — Work at the Ferriday water plant continues to move forward.

The crews working to build the new water tank — which, when installed, will result in the end of the six-month-long boil-water order — have built the road to the new tank location and are marking where they will put the tank, Ferriday Water Supervisor Gregory Griggs said.

“Right now, they are getting it all aligned and are setting the form for the foundation,” he said.

“The tank is being pre-fabricated, and once they get the form set they can bring it in and set it up.”

The water plant is located off of Old River in Ridgecrest, and the construction equipment parked there now will be used to drive pilings in for the tank foundation, Ferriday Mayor Glen McGlothin said.

“You have to have pilings in there because it’s close to the river,” he said.

“Since they’re pre-fabricating the tank, the tank will probably be built before they get the form built.”

The way things are moving, the town can still reasonably hope to get the tank installed by the end of December or early January, McGlothin said.

The new tank will replace the extant tank, which had a breach form several years ago and was significantly widened by damage from Hurricane Gustav.

The DHH ordered the boil-water order in mid-May

The order was placed because DHH protocol requires such an order any time a beach forms in a water system.

In the meantime, McGlothin said he is working to keep the portable water storage tanks — known as “water buffalos” — parked around the town until the tank construction project is completed.

The water buffaloes were parked by the National Guard, and are filled with potable water, but McGlothin said he has been told the town has a Dec. 1 deadline for them.

The mayor said he understands the importance of the deadlines, but he is working with the parish emergency preparedness director to get the deadline extended.

“We have always said it would be the end of December before we could get in (the new tank),” he said.

“We are going to hang on to the buffalos, we hope.”