850                              Laws of Maryland                       [Ch. 588

214. Any person who shall stop up, or in any way obstruct any
ditch or drain or other improvement made pursuant to this sub-title
so as to impede the free flow of water therein, shall be deemed guilty
of a misdemeanor and on conviction thereof shall be fined not
exceeding twenty dollars for each offense. All such fines when col-
lected shall be paid to the County Treasurer, and placed to the credit
of the Public Watershed Association which suffered the damage;
provided that properly constructed swinging water gates may be
placed across any ditch on the fence lines to prevent stock from
trespassing through said ditch.

215.    Where any ditch, drain or other improvement established
under the provisions of this sub-title crosses a public highway at
the intersection of such highway with a natural watercourse or de-
pression through which water flows during periods of high water,
the cost of bridges, or of repairing or enlarging existing bridges
and culverts, or of constructing new ones, shall be borne by the
county in which such bridges are located or by such other author-
ity as is required by law to maintain such highways so intersected;
and such bridges or culverts shall thereafter be maintained by such
county or other authority. Where any ditch, drain or other improve-
ment established under the provisions of this sub-title crosses a
public highway at a point where such highway does not intersect a
natural watercourse or depression, the cost of constructing the new
bridges shall be borne by the watershed association, provided that
such new bridge or culverts shall thereafter be maintained by and at
the expense of the county or other authority required by law to
maintain the highway so intersected.

216.    In all cases where the channels established under this sub-
title cross railroad rights-of-way at the intersection of the right-of-
way with a natural watercourse or depression through which water
flows at periods of high water, the railroad company shall be re-
quired to construct, build and maintain any necessary new bridges
or culverts, or to enlarge, strengthen, reconstruct, or replace any old
ones. In all cases where the channels intersect such rights-of-way,
the expense of building such bridges or culverts shall be considered
by the viewers as an element of damage to the railroad company and
shall be shown as such in their report.

217.    A majority of the landowners or the owners of a majority
of the land in a Public Watershed Association established under
this sub-title may petition the Board of County Commissioners of
the county in which such association was organized for the dissolu-
tion of the association. Such petition must be accompanied by a
complete list of the creditors of the association, sworn to by the
Board of Directors.

The Board of County Commissioners shall thereupon set a date
for a public hearing upon the petition, and shall give at least thirty
days' notice by written or printed notice mailed to each landowner
included in the watershed association and to each creditor, and by
notice in a newspaper or newspapers having a general circulation in
the county or counties in which such watershed association is lo-
cated, giving the time, place, and object of such meeting.

Following such public hearing the Board of County Commis-
sioners may, in their discretion, deny or approve the petition for