miles. In succeeding years, the General As-
sembly has made additions, and the Wash-
ington Suburban Sanitary District now
contains about 1,000 square miles within
Prince George's and Montgomery counties,
adjacent to the District of Columbia. The
Commission has jurisdiction over the con-
struction of any water and sewerage systems
built in either county beyond the limits of
the Sanitary District boundaries. The pres-
ent Sanitary District has a population of
more than 1,250,000 and an assessed valua-
tion of approximately $8,500,000,000.
The Commission provides for the con-
struction, maintenance and operation of
water supply and sewerage systems; it has
jurisdiction over storm drainage in Prince
George's County only. It regulates and in-
spects plumbing and gas fitting installations
in both counties. The Commission has been
designated as the organization responsible
for the administration, maintenance and op-
eration of the Anacostia River Flood Con-
trol and Navigation Project. As of June 30,
1976, the water and sewerage systems of
the Commission contained about 3,350 and
about 3,400 miles of mains, respectively.
Two major sources of water now supply
the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commis-
sion system. The Patuxent River, which the
Commission has impounded with the con-
struction of two dams near Brighton in
Montgomery County and near Laurel in
Prince George's County, gives the Commis-
sion a yield of 65 million gallons a day
through the Patuxent Filtration Plant. The
Potomac River supplies raw water to the
Potomac River Filtration Plant. This fa-
cility was opened in 1961 and has a ca-
pacity of almost 200 million gallons a day.
The Potomac River plant will be expanded
in stages to reach a peak production capac-
ity of up to 400 million gallons a day. It
serves both counties.
Much of the sewage from the Commis-
sion service area is transported through
trunk sewers into the District of Columbia
and is treated at the District's Blue Plains
Pollution Control Plant. The Commission
pays for this service on a metered volume
basis, and it also contributes its share to |
capital improvement of the Blue Plains fa-
cility. Sewage disposal plants operated by
the Washington Suburban Sanitary Com-
mission are near Laurel, at Piscataway Bay,
and at the Western Branch of the Patuxent
River.
Ten-Year Water and Sewer Plans for
Montgomery and Prince George's Counties,
formerly drafted by the Washington Subur-
ban Sanitary Commission, are now pre-
pared by the respective County Govern-
ments The WSSC's annual budget also is
subject to joint approval by the governing
bodies of Montgomery and Prince George's
Counties. The WSSC does have responsi-
bility for setting customer rates pertinent to
WSSC functions in its Suburban Maryland
service area (Acts 1918, chap. 122, as
amended from time to time, e.g.. Acts 1947,
chap. 733; Acts 1949, chap. 728: Acts
1953, chaps 430 and 434; Acts 1959. chap.
618; Acts 1961, chap. 740; Acts 1965.
chaps. 819 and 896; Acts 1966, chaps. 370
and 679; Acts 1967, chaps. 53, 54 and 713;
Acts 1968, chaps. 628 and 703; Acts 1969,
chap. 700; Acts 1970, chap. 468; Acts
1971, chap. 115; Acts 1972, chaps. 597
and 729; Acts 1973, chap. 194; Acts 1975,
chaps. 472, 478, 498, 501, 791, 792, 813;
Acts 1976, chaps. 749, 806, 847, 848).
WASHINGTON SUBURBAN
TRANSIT COMMISSION
*Chairman\ CLEATUS E. BARNETT,
Montgomery County
*Vice Chairman: FRANCIS W. WHITE,
Prince George's County
Commissioners from Montgomery County:
RICHARD J. LYNCH, NORMAN CHRISTELLER
Commissioners from
Prince George's County:
CARLTON R. SICKLES, ROBERT 0. DUNCAN
Ex officio Commissioner:
HARRY R, HUGHES, Secretary, Maryland
Department of Transportation
Secretary-Treasurer: GLORIA B. FISCHER
Executive Secretary: GLORIA B. FISCHER
8720 Georgia Avenue,
Silver Spring 20910 Telephone: 587-8770 |
