SPMUD taps local utility executive as general manager

The Board of Directors of the South Placer Municipal Utility District (SPMUD) has appointed Eric Nielsen, P.E., to serve as its ninth general manager. Nielsen has worked for the district as the superintendent for five years and before that served as the district engineer for six years. He has more than 19 years of water and wastewater engineering and operations experience. Nielsen has a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Brigham Young University. He's a professional engineer, certified special district manager and has a California Water Environment Association, Collection System Maintenance Grade 4 Certification. Nielsen is a strong community leader who embraces innovation. He's currently working on a large SCADA Improvement Project that will increase system resilience, helping to prevent costly system failures. He brings a commitment to continuing the SPMUD mission to protect public health and the water environment, provide efficient and effective sanitary sewer service, and prepare for the future. Under Nielsen's leadership, the district will continue to serve customers as a reliable, sustainable, efficient, cost-effective and responsive community partner. Nielsen takes the reigns from Herb Niederberger, the district's general manager for 10 years. Under Niederberger's leadership, SPMUD was successful in providing exemplary sewer service to the residents of Rocklin, Loomis and parts of Placer County. SPMUD has won numerous awards from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for financial reporting and budget presentations as well as transparency awards from the Special District Leadership Foundation. In 2020, SPMUD won the California Water Environment Association's Collection System of the Year for medium-sized systems. Niederberger retires after almost 50 years in the utility industry. "The board is very pleased that we were able to secure the services of someone with Eric's qualifications and experience," states Jim Durfee, SPMUD Board President. "We look forward to Eric carrying out the board's direction, vision and mission. We are proud to have some of the lowest sewer rates in the state while still being able to deliver excellent service and value to our customers." South Placer Municipal Utility District provides sewer collection services to 83,000 residents in the city of Rocklin, the Town of Loomis and the unincorporated areas of Penryn, Newcastle and Rogersdale in the Granite Bay area.