Do ski areas own the water they used for snowmaking? That’s the central issue in a fight between Vail and the U.S. Forest Service. The agency wants to alter the way resorts account for their water rights, and Vail, for one, is crying foul, saying that after investing millions in infrastructure they should have the right to dictate both the use and sale of the rights. The feds say their aim is to tie the rights directly to resorts, since the original intention of the grants was for the water to be used to make recreation viable (snowmaking, drinking, etc.), not to resell for farming or to cities. As usual, this fight is all about money and who will profit from the sale of water that’s originating on federal land.

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