The Moore County Summit Water Task Force is asking local governments about their interest in exploring the formation of a water and sewer authority.

Copies of a draft resolution were distributed Thursday during an elected officials' forum hosted by the Moore County Board of Commis-sioners at the Senior Enrichment Center.

Although Chamber of Commerce President Pat-rick Coughlin emphasized that the resolution seeks "exploration," not formation, of an authority, some officials expressed apprehension.

"It's like trying to create another MoWASA," said Southern Pines Mayor Mike Haney.

Pinehurst Village Council-man Doug Lapins added, "MoWASA is a bad word."

Coughlin responded that the resolution does not call for setting up an authority such as MoWASA, but instead proposes exploration of the subject. The resolution was available to municipalities whose governing bodies might be interested in adopting it at the task force's suggestion.

Coughlin said the idea is to study every issue before rejecting the concept.

"The flip side is, we may find a model out there that makes perfect sense," Coughlin said.

Coughlin said he did not want to be in the position of missing a good opportunity to address the water and sewer issues.

The Moore Water and Sewer Authority (MoWASA) was formed in the early 1990s to initiate resources for utilities and to administer existing systems falling within the county's responsibility. Its major acquisition was the water and sewer systems serving the village of Pinehurst, which became the customer base for the authority. The utilities were purchased from a private company.

MoWASA also acquired the utilities serving Vass, Seven Lakes, Niagara and Hyland Hills and later took over other systems serving developments. The authority also administered the wastewater treatment plant at Addor, which is owned by the county but was originally established to serve Southern Pines, Aberdeen and Pinehurst.

The county now administers the East Moore Water District, which buys water from Harnett County.

In 2000, the county dismantled MoWASA and turned the administration of utilities over to the Department of Public Works, where it remains today. Political issues and administrative complaints were cited as the reason for ending MoWASA.

The resolution refers to the McGill study, a comprehensive examination of water resources in the county with recommendations for improvements and expansions. It was conducted by engineers with McGill Associates.

The county and a majority of the 11 municipalities shared the cost of the study, which "takes a 50-year view of water resources and demands in Moore County."

The resolution says that the McGill recommendations and solutions require cooperation among local governments but notes that there is no single legal entity with the goal "to ensure a safe, affordable and adequate water supply for ALL the people in Moore County."

It asks the municipalities to support "the exploration, by the Moore County Summit Water Task Force, of the formation of a new regional water and sewer authority with the express purpose of addressing the current and future water source and wastewater treatment needs of Moore County overall."

Frank Zamaroni, of Whispering Pines, task force chairman, introduced Coughlin, who presented an overview of the Summit, with emphasis on the efforts of the task force.

The task force's presentation was the first for the elected officials' forum, which the county commissioners have been sponsoring in the past year as a means of opening communication with municipal leadership.

Coughlin praised the county administration and the municipalities for their efforts to work together in addressing the county's water needs.

His comment followed a presentation by County Manager Cary McSwain and Public Works Director Dennis Brobst, who reported on meetings with Pinehurst and Robbins officials.

Robbins Town Commis-sioner Lynn Loy said that progress is being made toward a long-term agreement for water purchases by the county and that he did not know why it has taken so long to reach agreement.

"I think our rates will be competitive," Loy said.

Coughlin called that "wonderful news" because it is an indication of adequate water supplies for the overall community.

"We have plenty of water now and probably have plenty of water in the foreseeable future," Coughlin said. "We want to make sure there is adequate water for the next 100 years."

Contact Florence Gilkeson at florence@thepilot.com.