HOUSTON, TX The Texas-based infrastructure division of RPS Klotz has garnered two awards for its environmental report as part of the Gulf Coast Community Protection and Recovery District's (GCCPRD) monumental Storm Surge Suppression Study.

The study won a Silver Medal in the American Council of Engineering Companies 2017 Texas Engineering Excellence Awards and was named a Project of the Year by the American Public Works Association Texas Chapter.

The GCCPRD initiated its Storm Surge Suppression Study in the fall of 2014 to investigate the feasibility of reducing the vulnerability of the upper Texas coast to storm surge and flood damages.

RPS was engaged to analyze the environmental constraints of the region as a key part of the study. The environmental report entailed a data- and technology-intensive process to produce more than 40 maps illustrating environmental constraints over 4,300 square miles abundant with environmental impacts such as:

- Wetlands
- Threatened and Endangered Species
- Floodplains
- Coastal Barriers
- Essential Fish Habitat
- Historic Sites
- Wildlife Refuges and State Parks
- Hazardous Materials
- Water Quality/Tidal Flow

The massive environmental evaluation played an essential role in formulating a cutting-edge solution that will help protect the infrastructure and people of the six-county area, while ensuring sustainability for Galveston Bay. Once constructed, storm surge protection will include a structure only found in one other location worldwide and nowhere in North America.