SAN ANTONIO, TX Tom Burr, COO of the Raba Kistner Environmental Group, announces that Raba Kistner has added coastal protection, restoration and resiliency services to their services. The Coastal Services and Engineering (CSE) group will focus their efforts across Texas and along the entire Texas Gulf Coast. 

The CSE group is led by Melany Larenas, PG, and Scott Hicks, PE. The group introduces a full suite of coastal engineering, hydraulic and related geological capabilities to Raba Kistner's current service offerings. 

Coastal service offerings include: 

"¢  Shoreline protection
"¢  Artificial reef design
"¢  Port and navigation channel design
"¢  Marina and boating facilities
"¢  Dredging and sediment disposal
"¢  Beneficial use of dredged material
"¢  River and stream bank stabilization
"¢  Culvert design
"¢ Beach and wetland restoration
"¢ Living shoreline design
"¢ Resiliency studies
"¢ Bulkhead and seawalls
"¢ Sand search investigations
"¢ Database design and management
"¢ Levee engineering and design
"¢ Agency coordination 

Most recently, Larenas and Hicks managed the Texas Coastal Resiliency Study conducted for the Texas General Land Office (GLO). The Texas Coastal Resiliency Study covered 23, primarily coastal, counties and included identification of infrastructure at risk due to coastal storms including Hurricanes Ike and Dolly. Results of the study are being used by the Texas GLO to identify vulnerable infrastructure and to develop projects to improve the overall resiliency of the Texas Coast. 

Melany Larenas, PG, has been implementing coastal protection and restoration projects within the Gulf Coast and Atlantic regions for 17 years. She is a coastal geologist who holds Professional Geologist/Professional Geoscientist licenses in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and North Carolina. Specific technical expertise includes Offshore Geotechnical and Geophysical Investigations GIS Analysis, Borrow Area Design, Program and Project Management, Database Design and Management and Agency Coordination and Permitting. 

Scott Hicks, PE, has more than 18 years of experience with coastal, hydraulic, waterfront and marine facility engineering and has executed projects along the U.S. Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific coasts, as well as numerous projects internationally. He is a professional engineer registered in Texas, Florida and Washington State. Specific technical expertise includes Design of Shoreline Protection and Bank Stabilization, Marina and Boating Facilities, Dredging and Dredged Material Disposal and Port Facility Design.