Nevada will have a new top water regulator after his predecessor’s abrupt departure.

Joe Cacioppo, who had served as the deputy administrator of the Nevada Department of Water Resources, will become Nevada’s next state engineer, officials announced Thursday.

The chief water official in the driest state in the nation, the Nevada state engineer is tasked with managing the state’s 256 hydrographic basins, making tough decisions about how much and when water can be used.

Previously, the state engineer was Adam Sullivan, a Gov. Steve Sisolak appointee who elevated a water rights conflict with the Coyote Springs development outside of Las Vegas to the Nevada Supreme Court. The decision was cited as a precedent for whether basins could be managed together and recognition that groundwater and surface water are connected.

The state has yet to provide any information regarding Sullivan’s departure. Chris Thorson had served as acting state engineer in the interim.

“Joe’s experience and dedication to public service make him well-suited to take on this important role,” Gov. Joe Lombardo said in a statement. “Nevada’s water resources are vital to our communities, economy, and future, and I am confident Joe will continue the Division’s important work to manage and protect this critical resource.”

Cacioppo, an Army veteran and licensed civil engineer with almost three decades of experience in water management, will assume the role on March 30, according to a news release.

Contact Alan Halaly at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.