NEW ORLEANS — The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO) announced on Wednesday that General Superintendent Robert Turner will retire effective March 4.
Turner joined SWBNO in 2017 as a member of the Emergency Management Team following the flood on Aug. 5. In January 2019, he accepted a permanent position as General Superintendent of Operations where he took on the responsibility of overseeing all stormwater management, wastewater management, water purification and power generation operations.
“I’m immensely thankful to have had the opportunity to serve the people of New Orleans,” said Robert Turner. “The decision to retire was not an easy one. But I know that I’m leaving this agency in skilled and capable hands.”
During his tenure at SWBNO, Turner has guided efforts to modernize SWBNO’s power generation systems. Due in large part to his hard work, construction is currently underway to house both a dedicated Entergy substation and new power generation turbine at the SWBNO Carrollton Water Plant.
“On behalf of the City of New Orleans, we are immensely grateful for the work and dedication that Bob Turner has provided in the fields of engineering, drainage and public infrastructure,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell.
“He committed himself to protecting our region against flooding and has been a key figure in helping our City face one flood season after another. Bob has helped position SWBNO and the City to continue improving upon our stormwater management and drainage operations.”
Korban recommended to the Board of Directors that current SWBNO engineer, Ron Spooner, serve as Interim General Superintendent of Operations. The Board approved the recommendation in today’s regularly scheduled Board Meeting.
Spooner previously served SWBNO as a Principal Engineer within the engineering division and contributed to rebuilding the agency following the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Most recently, he served as head of the Network Engineering Department, Chief of Engineering and Interim Deputy General Superintendent.
He also served 22 years as a reservist in the U.S Navy where he served in various leadership roles as Executive Officer, Commanding Officer, Regional Executive Officer and Deputy Reserve Resource Program Manager.
Spooner earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Louisiana Tech University and a Master’s Degree in Engineering from the University of New Orleans. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the states of California and Louisiana.