WILSON NAMED ORSANCO CHAIR

Dr. Michael P. Wilson of Dunkirk, Chautauqua County, NY was elected Chair of the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) at the Commission's June 2021 Virtual Commission meeting. Wilson was appointed by New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo to the Commission in July 2011 and reappointed in 2017. ORSANCO is the water pollution control agency for the Ohio River representing Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.

ORSANCO operates water quality programs through representation from its eight member states. Twenty-seven Commissioners are appointed from the member states and the federal government. In addition, numerous ORSANCO committees address specific Ohio River water quality topics and interests. From July 2021 through June 2022, Wilson will serve as Chair to this extensive network of Ohio River representatives.

Dr. Wilson earned his Ph.D. in Geology, with a minor in geotechnical engineering, from Syracuse University in 1981 and taught various courses at State University of New York Fredonia in the Department of Geosciences. Previously, he taught at Syracuse, UNC-Charlotte, and Texas A&M Universities. His interests include teaching and research regarding surface and groundwater contamination and resources, landscape development, engineering geology, geophysics, and remote sensing. Wilson supervised more than 200 student internships with many government agencies and private consultants. He has published research on various topics such as surface water parasites in drinking water as well as a final report on showing sources of chlorides and phosphorus in the Chautauqua Lake watershed. 

Wilson was ORSANCO Vice-Chair from July 2020 through June 2021. He served on numerous ORSANCO committees, including chairing both the Technical Committee and Audit Committee. He also served on the Executive, Congressional Liaison, and Research Committees, as well as an ex-officio member of the Program and Finance, Pollution Control Standards, and Water Resources Committees.

Wilson is a licensed professional geologist with New York State, recently consulting about natural hazards at nuclear facilities in Vermont and New York. He is also licensed in New York to teach science in middle and high schools. Wilson’s most current projects are aiding non-profit organizations in predicting the durability of landscapes, such as nature sanctuaries, and tracking risks to their properties, such as contaminants.