Theodore R. McKeldin, Governor                    369

Court or to the proper parties the Commission shall be authorized
to take possession of, maintain and operate said system, whether
private or municipal, as a part of its general system, and from the
date of such payment all properties along the line of any water main
or sewer of the system so acquired shall stand in the same relation,
bear the same benefit assessment, and be subject to the same regula-
tions and penalties as though the system so acquired had been con-
structed and put into operation by the Commission under the pro-
visions of this Act; provided, however, that no building or premises
actually connected in an adequate manner with the said acquired
system at the time of its purchase shall be required to pay any con-
nection charge. Whenever there is in existence a privately owned
water supply or sewerage system which in the judgment of the Com-
mission is unfit, as a whole or in part, for incorporation with the
Commission's system, the Commission shall disregard the existence
of said system or unfit part thereof and extend its system to serve
the area tributary to the existing system or unfit part thereof, and
all the provisions of this Act relating to systems constructed by the
Commission shall apply to said extension. Any municipality whose
system is acquired by the Commission, whether by purchase or con-
demnation, is hereby authorized to use the amount paid to it for said
system for the purchase or redemption of any bonds or debt which
may be outstanding against the same or the Commission may as a
part of the purchase price of said system, assume the payment of
any such outstanding bond. The Commission shall not purchase any
existing water mains, sewer or systems, in whole or in part, which
are improperly constructed [or are not of sufficient capacity] or
were constructed without proper authority from the State Depart-
ment of Health since the passage of the Act requiring the same.

Sec. 17. And be it further enacted. That after the passage of this
Act, whenever a municipality or the property owners or residents
or developer of any locality in the Metropolitan District shall desire
a water supply, sewerage or drainage system, or part thereof, to be
constructed in that municipality or locality, including, but not limited
to, those localities coming within the purview of Section 230J of
Article 14 of the Code of Public Local Laws of Maryland, and the
Commission shall decide that it is inexpedient or impracticable at
that time [, owing to the remoteness from its general system or other
causes,] to build such system, such municipality [or persons] or
property owners or residents or developers, as the case may be, [may
build and operate said system at its own expense, but it shall be
constructed under plans and specifications prepared by the Com-
mission and under its supervision, and its maintenance and operation
shall be under the general control of the Commission; and no such
system or part thereof, and no water main, sewer, storm drain, water
or sewerage treatment plant, not connected with any of them shall
be constructed or installed except as in this section provided, and
any violation of this provision shall be a misdemeanor punishable
under Section 21 of this sub-title. All construction and operating
records, including cost records, shall be filed with the Commission,
which shall be empowered at any time to take over said system or
part thereof, or said water main, sewer, storm drain, water or
sewage treatment plant, or connection with any of them, in the
same manner as provided under Section 16 for systems existing at
the time of the passage of this Act. The Commission shall be em-
powered to extend its water supply, sewerage or drainage systems