WILLIAM DONALD SCHAEFER, Governor Ch. 711

WHEREAS, As an estuary, the Chesapeake Bay is a coastal body of water that
contains seawater that is diluted by fresh water from riverine sources; and

WHEREAS, The Susquehanna River is by far the largest river in the
Chesapeake Bay drainage basin, discharging approximately 50% of the fresh water that
reaches the Chesapeake Bay; and

WHEREAS, According to the 1983 document published by the then United
States Environmental Protection Agency entitled "Chesapeake Bay Program: An
Action Plan", the Susquehanna River measures about 440 miles, has a drainage basin
that occupies 27,500 square miles, and discharges fresh water to the head of the
Chesapeake Bay at a mean annual rate of 40,000 cubic feet per second; and

WHEREAS, The purpose of this Act is to protect the environment and other
considerations of the Susquehanna River Watershed and land contiguous to the
Susquehanna River and its tributaries in Cecil County and Harford County; and

WHEREAS, How land is managed within the Susquehanna River Watershed
determines a majority of the volume and chemical characteristics of the fresh water
discharged into the Chesapeake Bay; now, therefore,

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
MARYLAND, That Section(s) 8-1501 and 8-1502, respectively, and the subtitle
"Subtitle 15. Penalty and Fines; Prosecution", respectively, of Article - Natural
Resources of the Annotated Code of Maryland be renumbered to be Section(s) 8-2001
and 8-2002, respectively, and the subtitle "Subtitle 20. Penalty and Fines; Prosecution"
respectively.

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the Laws of Maryland
read as follows:

Article - Natural Resources

SUBTITLE 15. SUSQUEHANNA RIVER WATERSHED ADVISORY BOARD

8-1501.

(A) IN THIS SUBTITLE THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE
MEANINGS INDICATED.

(B) "BOARD" MEANS THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER WATERSHED
ADVISORY BOARD.

(C) (1) "SUSQUEHANNA RIVER WATERSHED" MEANS THE LAND
AND WATER AREA IN CECIL COUNTY AND HARFORD COUNTY FROM
WHICH ALL WATER DRAINS, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, TO AND FROM
THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER BASIN TOWARDS THE CHESAPEAKE BAY.

(2) "SUSQUEHANNA RIVER WATERSHED" INCLUDES DEER
CREEK, OCTORARO CREEK, AND ALL LAND AREAS CONTIGUOUS TO THE
SUSQUEHANNA RIVER AND ITS TRIBUTARIES IN CECIL COUNTY AND
HARFORD COUNTY, INCLUDING ROCKS STATE PARK, PALMER STATE

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