58                                   Laws of Maryland                          [Ch. 30

by the Commission and shall be the criteria and standards of the
Commission until changed as set forth in the preceding sentence,
provided, that until the Commission gives notice that it is prepared
to exercise the functions vested in it by the preceding sentence any
changes made by a signatory state in its criteria or standards shall
be effective as amended criteria or standards of the Commission.

5.03. Scope.—Criteria for water quality and the various stand-
ards referred to in this article may relate, but shall not be limited, to
bacterial, viral, chemical, radio-active, organic, thermal, gaseous,
liquid, solids or soils pollution or enrichment of the waters of the
basin from treated or untreated domestic and industrial wastes or
from aerial contaminants or agricultural, construction and naviga-
tional activities, or from the exploitation of natural resources or
the deposit of solid wastes, refuse or materials of any kind in or
near the waters, or from the failure to prevent or control the
discharge, or entry by other means, of oils, chemicals or other
materials which might adversely affect the quality or the uses of
the waters of the basin as set by the various standards and plans
referred to herein.

5.04. Cooperative Administration and Enforcement.—(a) The
Commission shall encourage cooperative and uniform implementation
and enforcement programs and policies by the water quality control
agencies of the signatories to achieve compliance with the water
quality standards adopted by the Commission.

(b)  Every officer and agency of each signatory having enforce-
ment responsibilities with respect to water resources shall enforce
the Commission's standards and its rules and regulations relative
thereto.

(c)   The Commission as complainant may enforce against any
polluter its own standards to control future pollution and abate
existing pollution in any waters of the basin.

5.05.    Projects and Facilities.—The Commission may acquire,
construct, operate, and maintain projects and facilities and such
related structures, appurtenances and equipment as it may deem
appropriate for the management and control of the quality of any
waters in the basin.

5.06.    Pollution Damage.—(a) Any person or governmental agen-
cy responsible for any change in, or for the entry of any pollutant
into, any waters of the basin to such extent or in such quantities,
alone or in combination with changes or pollutants from other
sources, as to cause or contribute to the degradation of the quality
of any waters of the basin below the standards of water quality
adopted therefor by the Commission shall be civilly liable for any
damage suffered by the Commission or by any other governmental
agency by reason of such degradation, whether such damage be in
the nature of actual damage sustained through loss of fish and wild-
life or injury to property, or reasonable cost of necessary remedial
measures undertaken by the Commission or other governmental
agency for the amelioration of the effects of the change or the
pollutants, or to prevent the change or the entry of such pollutants
into the waters.

(b) The Commission may ascertain the extent of any such damage
suffered by it and make claim upon each person or governmental