Jeniffer Solis
| Nevada Current
State officials are offering no explanation for why Nevada State Engineer Adam Sullivan, who was appointed as the state’s top water regulator in 2021, is suddenly leaving his role at the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).
Sullivan, who also served as administrator of the Department’s Division of Water Resources, was responsible for managing Nevada’s limited water resources as the state engineer, including settling disputes over water claims and issuing permits for housing developments.
Former deputy administrator Chris Thorson will serve as the new acting administrator for the Division of Water Resources, according to a spokesperson for the DCNR.
Spokesperson Jenny Jackson did not provide further details about the reason for Sullivan’s departure or clarify when exactly Sullivan left his role.
“The Department is now focused on strengthening Nevada’s water management and ensuring a smooth leadership transition,” Jackson said.
Gov. Joe Lombardo’s office did not respond to a request for comment Friday, according to Nevada Current.
Sullivan was named Acting State Engineer in November 2020 under former Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak, when the previous state engineer, Tim Wilson, retired after 25 years of state service.
Sullivan has worked on water policy in Nevada for more than 20 years and served various roles within the Division of Water Resources since 2009.
He played a pivotal role in a Nevada Supreme Court case last year that affirmed the state’s right to manage interconnected sources of water as a single source in order to protect senior water rights and wildlife.
The consequential Nevada Supreme Court case – Sullivan v. Lincoln County – determined the state engineer had the statutory authority to merge multiple water basins into one superbasin, a decision that will likely have a profound impact on the way groundwater is managed in the state going forward.
Sullivan said the case would have sweeping ramifications for Nevada, but that full implementation of the ruling may take some time.
Lawmakers expressed concern about the implications of the case on the state economy. In 2023, state lawmakers introduced Assembly Bill 387, a bill that would have clarified the state’s authority to deny water permits based on the potential for conflict between surface water rights and groundwater rights.
But large water users — including real estate developers and mining companies — pushed back on the bill, arguing the state was attempting to exceed its authority and curtail water rights.
The Nevada Supreme Court ruling essentially does the same thing the bill would have accomplished, Sullivan told lawmakers in the months following the ruling.
The new state engineer will have to face a slew of water rights issues beyond the Supreme Court ruling, including increasing demand for limited water resources as Nevada’s population rapidly grows and prolonged drought exacerbated by the impacts of climate change.