My column in the morning paper on a rift between the state of New Mexico and the feds over water for the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow. Because it’s not really about a fish:

As has been happening for more than a decade on the Rio Grande, the minnow is merely one of the first places our long-standing, unaddressed water problems show up.

If there is not enough water in the Rio Grande for the minnow, that means trouble for farmers and cities is not far behind. If it were not the federal government right now wrestling over water shortfalls for the minnow, the situation could quickly turn into state and local governments wrestling over who is responsible for ensuring adequate water for crops, toilets and taps. The fact we have minnow problems means we have water problems.