After blurring the line between a private and public utility for nearly two decades, the water district that serves the world's largest industrial park is looking to part ways with a developer. Those actions come after The Nevada Independent reported this month that the public water district, with the governmental power to seize private property, is operated by a private entity.

Documents, election records and interviews show an insular county gave a private water company controlled by the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center (TRIC) the power of a public entity. The deal reflects greater tensions about whether certain companies are benefiting from the region's rapid growth and which politicians have given them an upper hand.