New state water regulator is named
Acting State Engineer Jason King has been named Nevada's chief water regulator.
King takes over for State Engineer Tracy Taylor, who held the job since 2006 but has been battling health problems.
The Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced the change on Monday.
Spokesman Bob Conrad said department director Allen Biaggi made the decision in consultation with the governor's office and Leo Drozdoff, who will take over as the department's acting director when Biaggi retires April 30.
King, 49, is in his 20th year with the department's Division of Water Resources.
The state engineer reviews applications for water rights and decides how much water, if any, can be pumped or diverted without harming other people's water rights.
King will be called on to decide everything from small, disputed agricultural wells to the Southern Nevada Water Authority's multibillion-dollar plan to pipe groundwater to Las Vegas from across eastern Nevada.
Taylor, who underwent brain surgery last year, will be reassigned to a deputy position within the Division of Water Resources as he continues his recovery, Conrad said.
