Marvin Mandel, Governor                         551

Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That if any provision of this
Act or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held
invalid for any reason, the invalidity shall not affect the other pro-
visions or any other application of this Act which can be given
effect without the invalid provisions or application, and to this end
all the provisions of this Act are declared to be severable.

Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take effect
July 1, 1970.

Approved April 22, 1970

CHAPTER 242
(House Bill 286)

AN ACT to add new Section 15A to Article 78A of the Annotated
Code of Maryland (1965 1969 Replacement Volume), title "Public
Works," subtitle "Board of Public Works," to follow immediately
after Section 15 thereof, pertaining to conveyances by the Board
of Public Works of interests in TITLE TO lands owned by the State
due to their relationship to the waters of the State.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That new Section 15A be and it is hereby added to Article 78A of
the Annotated Code of Maryland (1965 1969 Replacement Volume),
title "Public Works," subtitle "Board of Public Works," to follow im-
mediately after Section 15 thereof, and to read as follows:

15A.

(a)    The Board of Public Works shall not convey any interest in
TITLE TO land owned by the State due to its relationship to the
waters of the State to any person other than the riparian owner or
proprietor of the land abutting the land being conveyed. The Board
may only make such a conveyance after seeking the advice of the De-
partment of Natural Resources; , appropriate agricultural agencies,
including the Maryland Agricultural Commission and the Agricul-
tural Stabilization and Conservation Committee AND THE SOIL
CONSERVATION DISTRICT COMMITTEE of the county in which
the land is located; , and other interested Federal and State agencies,
as to the possibility of detrimental effects to the natural resources
and agricultural resources of the area. Prior to such a conveyance,
there must be a public hearing, with proper notice, in the county in
which the land is located, after which a written decision must be
rendered by the Board justifying its action, TAKING INTO AC-
COUNT THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE STATE WITH RE-
SPECT TO THE VARYING ECOLOGICAL, ECONOMIC, DE-
VELOPMENTAL, AGRICULTURAL, RECREATIONAL AND
AESTHETIC VALUES OF THE AREA UNDER CONSIDERA-
TION. This document shall be maintained in the permanent records
of the Board and be open to public scrutiny.

(b)    The provisions of this section shall not effect AFFECT the
title to interests conveyed by the State prior to July 1, 1970, by a valid
grant, lease or patent or a grant confirmed by Article 5 of the