1434                                Laws of Maryland                        [Ch. 782

water supply, sewerage systems provided for under this sub-title,
and it may construct in any such street, road, alley or public highway,
a water main, sewer or drain or any appurtenance thereof, without
the receipt of a permit or the payment of a charge; provided, that
whenever any State, county or municipal highway is to be disturbed
the public authority having control thereof shall be duly notified;
and provided further, that said highway shall be repaired and left
by the Commission in the same condition as, or in a condition not
inferior to, that existing before said highway was torn up, and that
all costs incident thereto shall be borne by the Commission.

(14) To receive and accept from any Federal agency grants for or
in aid of the construction, acquisition or operation of any project,
and to receive and accept aid or contributions from any source of
either money, property, labor or other things of value, to be held,
used and applied only for the purposes for which such grants and
contributions may be made.

(15) In the event of any annexation by a county not a member of
the District of lands, areas, or territory served by the District, to
continue to do business, exercise its jurisdiction over its properties
and facilities in and, upon or over such lands, areas or territory as
long as any bonds or indebtedness of such District remain outstanding
or unpaid, or any contracts or other obligations remain in force.

583. None of the powers granted by this sub-title shall be exer-
cised in the construction, improvement, maintenance, extension or
operation of any project or projects which in whole or in part shall
duplicate or compete with existing utilities, public or private, serving
substantially the same purposes. The county or counties organizing
such a District may, in the resolution or ordinance signifying their
intention so to do, or from time to time by subsequent resolution or
ordinance, specify the project or projects to be undertaken by the
said District. If the county or counties organizing a District fail to
specify the project or projects to be undertaken, then the District
shall be deemed to have all the power granted by this sub-title.

No county which shall have created a District under the provisions
of this sub-title shall thereafter create any other District serving the
whole or any part of the same area. No county which shall have
joined with any other county or counties in the creation of a District
under the provisions of this sub-title shall thereafter create or join
in the creation of any other District unless such other county or
counties shall consent thereto by ordinance or resolution.

584. Whenever twenty-five property owners, residing in any local-
ity in a county, shall in writing petition the Commission to have said
locality, (the boundaries whereof shall be definitely stated in said
petition) constituted as a new sanitary district, then if the Commis-
sion in its discretion shall deem it expedient to constitute said local-
ity as a sanitary district in accordance with the prayer of said peti-
tion, and if the governing body of the county in which said locality
lies consents thereto, the Commission shall cause plats of such locality
to be made under the supervision of its chief engineer, showing the
proposed water, sewerage or drainage systems, one copy of which
plat shall be filed in the office of the Commission, one in the office
of the county and one in a plat book indexed "..... Sanitary Com-
missions", in the office where the land records of the county are kept;