operation of the Anacostia River Flood Control
and Navigation Project. As of June 30, 1978, the
water system and sewerage system of the Com-
mission contained 3,373 and 3,314 miles of
mains, respectively.
Two major sources of water now supply the
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission sys-
tem. The Patuxent River, which the Commission
has impounded with the construction of two
dams near Brighton in Montgomery County and
Laurel in Prince George's County, gives the Com-
mission a yield of up to sixty-five million gallons
a day through the Patuxent Filtration Plant. The
Potomac River supplies raw water to the Poto-
mac River Filtration Plant. This facility was
opened in 1961 and has a capacity of almost 200
million gallons a day. The Potomac River plant
will be expanded in stages to reach a peak pro-
duction capacity of up to 400 million gallons a
day. It serves both counties.
Much of the sewage from the Commission ser-
vice 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
facility. Sewage disposal plants operated by the
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission are
near Laurel, at Piscataway Bay, and at the West-
ern Branch of the Patuxent River. The Commis-
sion also operates several smaller interim waste-
water plants.
Ten-Year Water and Sewer Plans for Mont-
gomery and Prince George's counties, formerly
drafted by the Washington Suburban Sanitary
Commission, are now prepared by the respective
county governments. The Washington Suburban
Sanitary Commission annual budget also is sub-
ject to joint approval by the governing bodies of
Montgomery and Prince George's counties. The
Washington Surburban Sanitary Commission has
the responsibility for setting customer rates perti-
nent to Washington Surburban Sanitary Commis-
sion functions in its Suburban Maryland service
area. Significant legislative enactments by the
Maryland General Assembly include: Acts 1918,
Ch. 122; Acts 1929, Ch. 362; Acts 1937, Ch.
391; Acts 1943, Ch. 451; Acts 1947, Ch. 733;
Acts 1949, Ch. 728; Acts 1953, Ch. 430, 434;
Acts 1955, Ch. 79, 117; Acts 1957, Ch. 624; Acts
1959, Ch. 618; Acts 1961, Ch. 740; Acts 1963,
Ch. 483, 828; Acts 1965, Ch. 819, 834, 896; Acts
1966, Ch. 679;-Acts 1967, Ch. 53, 54; Acts 1968,
Ch. 628, 703; Acts 1969, Ch. 700; Acts 1970,
Ch. 337, 468, 513; Acts 1971, Ch. 113, 115,714;

Acts 1972, Ch. 96, 506; Acts 1973, Ch. 194, 500;
Acts 1975, Ch. 498, 813; Acts 1976, Ch. 806,
848; Acts 1977, Ch. 159, 160, 287, 612, 657, 683;
Acts 1978, Ch. 515, 754, 884, 966.
WASHINGTON SUBURBAN TRANSIT
COMMISSION
Chairperson: Cleatus E. Barnett, Montgomery
County
Vice-Chairperson:C&t\ton R. Sickles, Prince
George's County
Commissioners from Montgomery County: Rose
C. Kramer, Robert W. Wilson
Commissioners from Prince George's County:
Francis G. Francois, one vacancy
Ex Officio commissioner: James J. O'Donnell,
Secretary, Maryland Department of
Transportation
Secretary-Treasurer: Gloria B, Fischer
Executive Secretary: Gloria B. Fischer
8720 Georgia Avenue, Suite 904
Silver Spring 20910 Telephone: 587-7270
The Washington Suburban Transit Commission,
created by Chapter 870, Acts of 1965, consists of
seven commissioners, three of whom are appointed
by the Montgomery County Executive, three by
the Prince George's County Executive, and the
Secretary of Transportation, who serves ex officio.
Commissioners who are appointed serve at the
pleasure of the Executive, and commissioners who
are not appointed from among the members of the
governing bodies serve for a period of three years.
By law, chairpersonship of the Commission ro-
tates on an annual basis between Montgomery and
Prince George's counties.
The Commission was established for the pur-
pose of administering the activities and functions
of the Washington Suburban Transit District,
with powers to develop, on a bi-county basis, a
transportation system including mass transit facil-
ities for the needs and growth of both counties.
The Commission appoints two of its members
and two alternates to the Board of Directors of
the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Au-
thority (WMATA), the interstate agency charged
with the overall responsibility of planning, financ-
ing, and operating the regional rapid rail and bus