LIVINGSON PARISH - A major flood prevention project is in the works: $50 million in federal dollars will be spent to remove debris from drainage ditches and canals.

Tonya Langford lives in a flood-prone area in Satsuma, and even though water pumps have been installed in her home, she still worries when it rains.

"We have to clean it out, because when the water comes, it's brings trash from whomever's yard the trash is coming from," Langford told News 2.

Langford says if those pumps hadn't been installed, her house would've surely flooded again. She wants the parish to do something about the problem.

"The main thing right now is cleaning these drains out," she said.

And help is on the way: $50 million will be spent to remove debris from 750 miles of canals and drainage ditches throughout the parish.

"This is major for Livingston Parish," Parish President Layton Ricks told WBRZ. "For the first time, we'll be able to get an influx of dollars, real dollars, to make a major difference."

Parish officials also say that keeping the drainage system free of debris will help maintain the roadways by keeping the high water off the black top, which will stop it from eroding so fast.

Langford is happy about the funding, but says she'll be watching how the parish spends it.

"Do what you are supposed to do with it," she said. "Clean out the drains, clean out the canals."