Mr. Hock is a professional engineer with over 10 years of experience in the field of environmental engineering and water resources management. He holds a degree in Environmental Engineering from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Mr. Hock has worked for the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Water for over seven years. His current role is in managing the statewide Water Withdrawal Program where he performs engineering reviews of water withdrawal permit applications and provides permitting guidance, application guidance, and outreach to the public.

Mr. Kappel earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees from Penn State. He has worked as a hydrologist for the U.S. Forest Service in Missouri and Wisconsin. For about 45 years he has studied the hydrogeology of upstate New York with the U.S. Geological Survey – New York Water Science Center. At present he is a hydrogeologist emeritus with the New York Water Science Center. Past investigations include the Onondaga Trough, studying the movement of natural brine to Onondaga Lake at Syracuse, NY; study of mudboil (mud-volcano) activity in the Onondaga Creek Valley; study of landslides in upstate New York – in relation to glacial lake clays; aquifer studies in central and western New York, and carbonate and evaporite karst throughout New York. Presently, in his emeritus status, he is assisting various projects in central and western New York in the collection and analysis of data.

Mr. Kuzia-Carmel is an assistant geologist in the Division of Water (DOW) at NYSDEC Central Office in Albany. Mr. Kuzia-Carmel has over 10 years of combined experience in federal disaster response, environmental consulting, and as a technical professional for the State of New York. He has worked for NYSDEC for over six years and currently works within the Water Withdrawal Program, assisting regional staff with the review of new and modified Water Withdrawal Permit applications. He specializes in the review of applications involving new or modified groundwater sources and aquifer pumping tests. Mr. Kuzia-Carmel holds a degree in Environmental Geology from Binghamton University.

Mr. McCluskey is employed by Everett J Prescott as the Western Erosion Control & Stormwater Specialist, and he is experienced in the promotion and education of various product lines related to stormwater, geosynthetics, erosion control, sediment control, and ground stabilization. In this role Mr. McCluskey is in contact with local, state, and federal regulatory agencies and he also works closely with engineers, landscape architects, municipalities, and contractors in both the public and private sector. He is active in several professional organizations, frequently conducts presentations to educate decision makers, is involved in training EJ Prescott employees, and manages product sales and promotions in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Indiana, and Ohio. Mr. McCluskey holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the State University of New York at Potsdam.

Mr. Ophori is a professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, Montclair State University. He is a geo-environmental scientist and specialist, with extensive experience in the mapping and modeling of large-scale groundwater flow and contaminant transport for application to the solution of environmental problems. In the past, he worked as a hydrogeological consultant to both the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, and Alberta Environment, Alberta, Canada. He was a research scientist with the Nuclear Fuel Waste Management Program of the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), Canada, from 1989 to 1995. From 2007 to 2010, he was the chairperson of the Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, Montclair State University, Upper Montclair, New Jersey, USA.

Mr. Rigano has concentrated his practice exclusively in environmental law for more than three decades. He has served in the Enforcement Division of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, where he was involved in a variety of water pollution control programs and was environmental counsel to the New York Power Authority. Mr. Rigano was environmental counsel for the New York Power Authority. He was employed for five years as an environmental scientist conducting research on the environmental effects of electric power generation. Long Island Business News has featured him in their “Who’s Who in the Law” edition. Mr. Rigano is the Chair of the Environmental and Energy Law Section of the New York State Bar Association from 2022 to 2023. He earned his J.D. degree from Hofstra University School of Law.

Mr.. Williams has a B.A. degree in Geology from Colgate University, and an M.S. degree in Geosciences from Pennsylvania State University. Mr. Williams currently is the groundwater specialist for the U. S. Geological Survey Water Science Center in New York. He has worked on a wide range of groundwater projects throughout the Northeast in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Pennsylvania Geological Survey, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, and Geological Survey of Canada. He has provided support and training in borehole geophysics for Survey offices throughout the U. S. and for water agencies in the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Kurdistan, and India.