J. MILLARD TAWES, Governor                         1743

to the system; provided that such lower charge shall continue in
effect for a period no longer than fifteen (15) years.

(b)  Extensions.—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 may 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 subtitle relating to systems constructed by
the Commission shall apply to said extension. Any municipality
whose system is acquired by the Commission is hereby authorized to
use the amount paid to it for said system for the purchase or redemp-
tion of any bonds or debt which may be outstanding against the
same, or the Commission may as part of the purchase price of said
system, assume the payment of any such bonds. The Commission
shall not purchase any existing water mains, sewers 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 Department of Health since the passage of the Act
requiring the same.

(c)  Joint ownership or construction.—Whenever the Commission
deems that it would serve the best interests of any area in which
the Commission operates a water or sewerage system to join with
any municipality operating a water or sewerage system in an adja-
cent or nearby area in the construction or operation of any water
production, collection, storage or transmission system; or the con-
struction of any sewerage, collection, transmission, or treatment
system; the Commission may, subject to the approval of the County
Commissioners of Wicomico County, enter into an agreement with
such municipality for the joint ownership of any property and the
joint construction and/or operation of any of the above systems;
and the Commission may, also subject to the approval of the County
Commissioners of Wicomico County issue bonds or other evidences
of indebtedness to provide funds for the purchase and/or construc-
tion of any such systems, which bonds will be issued in the same
manner and under the same conditions and under the same guar-
antee by the County Commissioners of Wicomico County as provided
in Section 518 of this subtitle.

580. Construction of other systems.

Whenever a municipality or the property owners or residents of
any locality shall hereafter desire a water supply or sewerage system,
or part thereof, to be first constructed in that municipality or locality,
a petition for such service shall be first filed with the Commission,
if the Commission should deny said petition such municipality or
persons may build and operate said system at its own expense, but
said system shall be constructed in accordance with plans and speci-
fications prepared under the direction of the Commission but at the
cost of the proposed owner, and the construction thereof shall be
done under the supervision of said Commission and its maintenance
and operation shall be under the supervision of said Commission and
its maintenance and operation shall be under the general control
of the Commission; and no such system or part thereof, or no water
main, sewer, water purification or sewerage treatment plant, or no