Residents along Joe May Road hopeful creek cleanup project will help with its flooding issues

The useful part

A project to clean and improve the Colyell Creek System in Livingston Parish officially kicked off on Tuesday. Livingston Parish Government, Gravity Drainage District 5 and the City of Walker will work collaboratively on the project. Livingston Parish resident James Grace, who lives near the creek, says the project will help with flooding issues that he has been experiencing recently.

How it works

• Crews were out at the creek along Joe May Road on Tuesday morning to begin the work, and Livingston Public Works Director Robert Dugas talked about the project.
• Grace has a farm along Joe May Road, an area he and his neighbors say is flooding too often.
• "Well, the problem is the water comes, and it sits in these creeks and has no way to get out of here," Grace said.
• "Out of this property and then into this lateral ditch, which then makes its way to the creek.
• By cleaning out the creek all the way to the bay, it's gonna allow more water to move out of here quickly," Grace said.

What to take from it

A spokesperson with the subdivision's builder, DSLD Homes, told WBRZ that this project will help the situation with drainage and flooding issues surrounding the creek, saying he has lived in that area for more than a decade. Livingston Parish Council Member John Mangus told WBRZ Tuesday that the council announced the project about a month ago. "We're doing a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with the city of Walker and the drainage distr...