With the Moore Water and Sewer Authority on the way out, several groups are preparing to offer the county better ideas for water resource management.

The Sandhills Area Chamber of Commerce has formed a Water and Sewer Task Force to identify water issues and offer guidance to the commissioners from the perspective of the business community.

"It just appears that, at least at this moment, there is not a lot of direction being given to creating an adequate water and sewer system," said Jim Bilyak, President and CEO of the Chamber. "Our purpose is to look at options and make recommendations that would be of a positive nature to the commissioners."

Penny Hayes, vice chairman of public policy for the Chamber, has been appointed as head of the task force, which will initially consist of six members. The makeup and size of the committee may change as it becomes more apparent what types of expertise are needed.

The Moore County Homebuilders Association has also formed a Water Committee that will address water issues in Moore County as they relate to the building industry, as well as to the residents of Moore County.

There have been rumors that the Moore County Association of Realtors is also planning to form a water task force, but an Association representative told The Pilot on Monday that the organization has no such plans.

Bill Reaves, president of the Homebuilders Association, said that organization’s committee, which currently has four members, is still in its infancy. He said it is difficult to predict what it will do or how long it will function.

"Right now we’re trying to consider what are the concerns and the facts and what kinds of recommendations we might make to the commissioners," said Reaves.

He expects that county water issues will be something the commissioners will be discussing for a long time.

The commissioners voted on Aug. 2 to dissolve the county water authority. There will be a six-month transition period while MoWASA’s management of municipal water is turned over to the County, which is expected to adopt a policy of water districts.

Bilyak said he expects that the Chamber’s water task force will be short-lived. He believes that the commissioners will need to make some quick decisions about handling water and sewers in Moore County, especially with the six-month deadline on handing the water system over to the County.

While the dissolution of MOWASA did spur the formation of the Chamber’s task force, it is something that has been considered for some time.

"This has been a part of Chamber talk for a long time," said Bilyak, who said that water and sewer issues are closely related to important Chamber topics such as controlled growth, economic development and land-use planning.

"Any time we talked about any of those particular issues, it always came back to water," said Bilyak. "It always comes back to water."

Bilyak thinks it is important for people to understand that municipal water management can be a double-edged sword. It can be used as a positive tool for economic development, but also as a weapon to prevent growth.

Bilyak understands that while some people do not want to inspire economic growth, he does not see that as a choice.

"The choice is not, ‘Do we want more economic development?’" Bilyak said. "The choice is ‘How do we handle the more we’re gonna get?’"