From the morning paper, a look at the way this year’s drought has laid bare a Byzantine argument over how to properly divide up the waters of the Lower Rio Grande between Texas and New Mexico farmers (sub/ad req.):

Water flows down the Rio Grande in southern New Mexico today, past parched farmers who cannot touch it, to irrigate land in Texas.

New Mexico state water officials are not happy. They have signaled an interest in taking their concerns to court.

But the Elephant Butte Irrigation District, the agency that represents the interests of the New Mexico farmers currently going dry, doesn’t want the help.

The district’s representatives say they are just fine with the current situation. In fact, they were the ones who negotiated and signed off on the deal that is allowing the water to flow past their own farmers and on to Texas.