JONESVILLE — The 2,600 residents and 400 businesses of Jonesville have found themselves without drinking water, a situation that will not likely change before Saturday.

The town has three wells, two of which were operational until either late Monday night or early Tuesday morning, Mayor Hiram Evans said.

One of those wells failed then, however, and so water pressure slowed to such a point that the town was required to issue a boil water notice by the Department of Health and Human Services.

The town is currently in conversation with the Department of Homeland Security, and Louisiana National Guard tankers are trucking in water so residents can have a few gallons of water a day for hygienic purposes, Evans said.

It was discovered Thursday morning that the well’s pump motor — which was installed approximately three weeks ago — burned out, Evans said.

A new motor and pump will hopefully be assembled today, at which point the wells will have to be replenished and then drain down, Evans said.

During that time, the system can be used for hygienic purposes, but it will still be under a boil water notice until the water can be analyzed, and the analysis is not expected to be completed until either Saturday or Monday, Evans said.

Those who want to donate bottled water for drinking can bring it by Jonesville Town Hall or the police station.

Ferriday Mayor Glen McGlothin said he feels sympathy for Jonesville residents.

“Being without water, that’s sad,” McGlothin said. “I know how it feels and the people of Ferriday know how it feels.”

Since taking office, McGlothin has publicly pushed to improve Ferriday’s water system, which is in a declining state.

To ensure a similar situation to the one in Jonesville does not arise is to make sure water plant employees are at the water plant.

“Those guys need to be there so if something goes wrong at the plant they can take care of it,” McGlothin said. “You have got to be on top of it.”

The Town of Ferriday has a $1.3 million grant for water improvement.

His goal to improve Ferriday’s water quality is to try to get the town on the Concordia Waterworks system and spend the grant revamping the plant, McGlothin said.

Town officials have a meeting with Concordia Waterworks officials in August, McGlothin said.

If that arrangement does not work out, McGlothin said he would work to have the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers raise the weir on Lake Concordia, where Ferriday’s water is collected, so the water level on the lake will in turn be higher.