Don graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1970 with a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering. He is a licensed professional engineer in New York, and formerly a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC), and Certified Professional in Stormwater Quality (CPSWQ). Don was the State Conservation Engineer when he “retired” from the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service in 1995 after 27 years of service. He then served as Engineering Specialist to the NYS Soil & Water Committee from 1996 to 2006 assisting NYS-DEC with the implementation of their stormwater program. From 2006 to present he is the stormwater expert for the Watershed Inspector General, Environmental Protection Bureau of the New York State Office of the Attorney General.
Mr. Lake is the principal author of the “New York Standards and Specifications for Erosion and Sediment Control”, the “New York Contractors Erosion and Sediment Control Field Notebook”, and co-author of “Construction Site Erosion and Sediment Controls – Planning, Design, and Performance”, a collegiate textbook. He is an Adjunct Professor at Syracuse University (since 1992) and at The State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (since 2002) where he taught a graduate engineering course on erosion control and stormwater design. He developed the Stormwater Short Course curriculum for practicing professionals originally presented through Syracuse University and SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry and currently presented through regional stormwater training centers.
He has presented over 1,575 lectures, seminars, and training workshops in erosion and sediment control, hydrology, and stormwater management throughout the country. He was the 1996 recipient of the International Erosion Control Association’s Sustained Contributor Award, the 2000 recipient of the Soil & Water Conservation Society’s Presidential Citation for revitalizing the CPESC program. He has two terms as Chair and two terms as Technical Vice-chair of the internationally recognized CPESC Council.