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BATON ROUGE, La.(WGNO)— On Friday, Governor, John Bel Edwards and the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority announced the completion of restoration efforts on Trinity-East Island.

The island was restored as part of the Terrebonne Basin Barrier Island and Beach Nourishment project, which includes the restoration of West Belle Headland and Timbalier Island. 

According to The Office of the Governor staff and officials, The Terrebonne Basin project is using $167 million in funds from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and $3 million in state funds to restore 1,257 acres of marsh, dune, and beach in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes.

 The completed Trinity-East project built over 2.5 miles of continuous shoreline and 301 acres of beach habitat on the historic barrier island. 

“The newly completed Trinity-East Island project faced an immediate test with Hurricane Ida, and it passed,” Gov. Edwards said. “The project’s success is a testament to the resiliency of our coastal projects and the importance of restoring and preserving Louisiana’s barrier island chain. We’re excited to announce the completion of Trinity-East Island and the continuation of this 1,257-acre restoration effort on Timbalier Island and West Belle Headland.”

Trinity-East Island is part of the Isle Derniéres Wildlife Refuge, a once-popular resort island on Louisiana’s Southeast coast. The Last Island Hurricane of 1856 destroyed Isle Derniére, also known as “Last Island,” causing its eventual split into five individual islands including Wine, Trinity, East, Whiskey, and Raccoon.

“Despite facing one of the strongest hurricanes in our state’s history, Trinity-East Island fared incredibly well and sustained minimal damage,” CPRA Chairman Chip Kline said. “Hurricane Ida reaffirmed the necessity of protecting the systems that protect us. The Terrebonne Basin project serves both protection and restoration functions while playing an integral role in the coastal program’s multiple lines of defense strategy.”

The project’s next phase will include the restoration of 376 acres of beach and marsh on Timbalier Island and 97 acres of additional beach on West Belle Headland. Construction on Timbalier Island began on July 31.

Vegetative plantings will begin on Trinity-East Island this fall.

For more information about the Terrebonne Basin Barrier Island Project, visit https://coastal.la.gov/news/terrebonne-basin-barrier-island-and-beach-nourishment/.