Said the people to TVA, “This is another fine mess you’ve gotten us into.”

Well, almost. Perry County has yet to say those exact words to TVA for sending its arsenic laced coal ash from a December spill down its way. That’s likely because of all the money paid to the cash-poor county.

But another development Friday in the saga of where TVA dumps next has some outsiders scratching their heads wondering what Perry County will do next.

When TVA began sending its toxic ash to Perry County, the landfill operators sent the water from that ash (yes, it’s wet right out of the river) to the Marion wastewater treatment plant.

People in Perry County complained and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management listened. ADEM told landfill operators the Marion system could not accept the wastewater because the facility didn’t have a license to do so.

So, the people who run Arrowhead Landfill struck up an agreement with Liquid Environmental Solutions in Mobile to take the wastewater and treat it.

Everything appeared just fine — until Friday when because of increasing pressure from local government officials Environmental Solutions said it would take no more.

And what did TVA say? That’s “something that will have to be worked out between Phillips & Jordan and that company.”

A boondoggle from the beginning. This situation isn’t going to get any better. It’s time for some real leadership on both sides to step up.