Now, after 49 years of protecting Salt Lake City's watershed, longtime Public Utilities Director LeRoy Hooton Jr. is retiring.

Having turned 70 this past summer, Hooton says it is time to step away from his grip on the city's water taps to spend more time with his wife and family.

"I really struggled with retirement," Hooton said Monday. "The work is important; it's fulfilling."

For the past three decades, Hooton, as director, won praise for his steady stewardship of the Wasatch Front watershed and for keeping rates low. He will be remembered as a modest and measured man - quick to laud his employees - who survived eight mayors and 27 commissions and city councils.

"LeRoy's service and dedication to Salt Lake City has been tremendous, historic and invaluable to all city residents," Mayor Rocky Anderson said in a statement. "Future generations will feel greatly indebted to LeRoy for his enormous contributions to creating a healthy, sustainable city."

Jeff Niermeyer, Hooton's deputy for the past decade, has been named new director by the mayor. The move requires City Council approval.

Niermeyer - a private-sector consulting engineer in Alaska, Washington, Oregon and Utah - has more than 29 years of experience in water-resources management in Utah and Alaska.

Hooton, who served on a bevy of water boards and received ample awards, was perhaps best known for his work to protect the capital's watershed.

In 1983, he helped battle historic flooding and implemented a comprehensive watershed-protection plan, including the Canyon Watershed Master Plan, which was approved by the City Council in 1988 and updated in 1998.

Hooton also led initiatives that allowed the city to meet its obligations under the Clean Water Act while keeping sewer rates among the lowest in the nation. He helped secure more than $408 million in capital improvements that will last until at least 2025. And, under Hooton, the capital was able to reduce its water consumption nearly 15 percent between 2000 and 2006.

"It's the kind of job where you can say you're accomplishing something in life," Hooton said. "It's more than making a living; it's a job I had great feelings for."

Hooton, who labored to establish a succession plan that included Niermeyer, says he hopes to travel, write about water history and continue hiking Utah's mountains.

And whenever he cruises by 1530 S. West Temple, he can smile at the name on the city's Public Utilities headquarters. After Hooton's half a century of service, city officials agree the building's moniker is well deserved.

djensen@sltrib.com