2021 Maryland Statutes
Environment
Title 5 - Water Resources
Subtitle 3 - Interstate Water Compacts
Section 5-301 - Potomac River Basin Compact and Susquehanna River Basin Compact

Susquehanna River Basin Compact

Preamble

    Whereas the signatory parties hereto recognize the water resources of the Susquehanna River Basin as regional assets vested with local, state, and national interest for which they have a joint responsibility; and declare as follows:

    1.    The conservation, utilization, development, management, and control of the water resources of the Susquehanna River Basin under comprehensive multiple purpose planning will bring the greatest benefits and produce the most efficient service in the public interest; and

    2.    This comprehensive planning administered by a basin–wide agency will provide flood damage reduction, conservation and development of surface and ground water supply for municipal, industrial, and agricultural uses, development of recreational facilities in relation to reservoirs, lakes and streams, propagation of fish and game, promotion of forest land management, soil conservation, and watershed projects, protection and aid to fisheries, development of hydroelectric power potentialities, improved navigation, control of the movement of salt water, abatement and control of water pollution, and regulation of stream flows toward the attainment of these goals; and

    3.    The water resources of the basin are presently subject to the duplicating, overlapping, and uncoordinated administration of a large number of governmental agencies which exercise a multiplicity of powers resulting in a splintering of authority and responsibility; and

    4.    The Interstate Advisory Committee on the Susquehanna River Basin, created by action of the states of New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, on the basis of its studies and deliberation has concluded that regional development of the Susquehanna River Basin is feasible, advisable, and urgently needed, and has recommended that an intergovernmental compact with federal participation be consummated to this end; and

    5.    The Congress of the United States and the executive branch of the federal government have recognized a national interest in the Susquehanna River Basin by authorizing and directing the Corps of Engineers of the Department of the Army, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, the Department of Interior, and other federal agencies to cooperate in making comprehensive surveys and reports concerning the water resources of the Susquehanna River Basin in which individually or severally the technical aid and assistance of many federal and state agencies have been enlisted, and which are being or have been coordinated through a Susquehanna River Basin Study Coordinating Committee on which the Corps of Engineers of the Department of the Army, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, the Department of Interior, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and its predecessor Housing and Home Finance Agency, the Federal Power Commission, and the states of New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland are or were represented; and

    6.    Some three million people live and work in the Susquehanna River Basin and its environs, and the government, employment, industry, and economic development of the entire region and the health, safety, and general well–being of its population are and will continue to be affected vitally by the conservation, utilization, development, management, and control of the water resources of the basin; and

    7.    Demands upon the water resources of the basin are expected to mount because of anticipated increases in population and by reason of industrial and economic growth of the basin and its service area; and

    8.    Water resources planning and development are technical, complex, and expensive, often requiring fifteen to twenty years from the conception to the completion of large or extensive projects; and

    9.    The public interest requires that facilities must be ready and operative when and where needed, to avoid the damages of unexpected floods or prolonged drought, and for other purposes; and

    10.    The Interstate Advisory Committee on the Susquehanna River Basin has prepared a draft of an intergovernmental compact for the creation of a basin agency, and the signatory parties desire to effectuate the purposes thereof; now therefore

    The states of New York and Maryland and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the United States of America hereby solemnly covenant and agree with each other, upon the enactment of concurrent legislation by the Congress of the United States and by the respective state legislatures, to the Susquehanna River Basin Compact which consists of this preamble and the articles that follow.

Article 1

Short Title, Definitions, Purposes, and Limitations

    1.1.    This compact shall be known and may be cited as the Susquehanna River Basin Compact.

    1.2.    For the purposes of this compact, and of any supplemental or concurring legislation enacted pursuant to it:

        1.    “Basin” shall mean the area of drainage of the Susquehanna River and its tributaries into Chesapeake Bay to the southern edge of the Pennsylvania railroad bridge between Havre de Grace and Perryville, Maryland.

        2.    “Commission” shall mean the Susquehanna River Basin Commission hereby created, and the term “commissioner” shall mean a member of the commission.

        3.    “Cost” shall mean direct and indirect expenditures, commitment, and net induced adverse effects, whether or not compensated for, used or incurred in connection with the establishment, acquisition, construction, maintenance, and operation of a project.

        4.    “Diversion” shall mean the transfer of water into or from the basin.

        5.    “Facility” shall mean any real or personal property, within or without the basin, and improvements thereof or thereon, and any and all rights–of–way, water, water rights, plants, structures, machinery, and equipment acquired, constructed, operated, or maintained for the beneficial use of water resources or related land uses or otherwise including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, any and all things and appurtenances necessary, useful, or convenient for the control, collection, storage, withdrawal, diversion, release, treatment, transmission, sale, or exchange of water; or for navigation thereon, or the development and use of hydroelectric energy and power, and public recreational facilities; of the propagation of fish and wildlife; or to conserve and protect the water resources of the basin or any existing or future water supply source, or to facilitate any other uses of any of them.

        6.    “Federal government” shall mean the government of the United States of America, and any appropriate branch, department, bureau, or division thereof, as the case may be.

        7.    “Project” shall mean any work, service, or activity which is separately planned, financed, or identified by the commission, or any separate facility undertaken or to be undertaken by the commission or otherwise within a specified area, for the conservation, utilization, control, development, or management of water resources which can be established and utilized independently or as an addition to an existing facility and can be considered as a separate entity for purposes of evaluation.

        8.    “Signatory party” shall mean a state or commonwealth party to this compact, or the federal government.

        9.    “Waters” shall mean both surface and underground waters which are contained within the drainage area of the Susquehanna River in the states of New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.

        10.    “Water resources” shall include all waters and related natural resources within the basin.

        11.    “Withdrawal” shall mean a taking or removal of water from any source within the basin for use within the basin.

        12.    “Person” shall mean an individual, corporation, partnership, unincorporated association, and the like and shall have no gender, and the singular shall include the plural.

    1.3.    The legislative bodies of the respective signatory parties hereby find and declare:

        1.    The water resources of the Susquehanna River Basin are affected with a local, state, regional, and national interest, and the planning, conservation, utilization, development, management, and control of these resources, under appropriate arrangements for intergovernmental cooperation, are public purposes of the respective signatory parties.

        2.    The water resources of the basin are subject to the sovereign rights and responsibilities of the signatory parties, and it is the purpose of this compact to provide for a joint exercise of these powers of sovereignty in the common interest of the people of the region.

        3.    The water resources of the basin are functionally interrelated, and the uses of these resources are interdependent. A single administrative agency is therefore essential for effective and economical direction, supervision, and coordination of water resources efforts and programs of federal, state, and local governments and of private enterprise.

        4.    Present and future demands require increasing economies and efficiencies in the use and reuse of water resources, and these can be brought about only by comprehensive planning, programming, and management under the direction of a single administrative agency.

        5.    In general, the purposes of this compact are to promote interstate comity; to remove causes of possible controversy; to make secure and protect developments within the states; to encourage and provide for the planning, conservation, utilization, development, management, and control of the water resources of the basin; to provide for cooperative and coordinated planning and action by the signatory parties with respect to water resources; and to apply the principle of equal and uniform treatment to all users of water and of water related facilities without regard to political boundaries.

        6.    It is the express intent of the signatory parties that the commission shall engage in the construction, operation, and maintenance of a project only when the project is necessary to the execution of the comprehensive plan and no other competent agency is in a position to act, or such agency fails to act.

    1.4.    Nothing in this compact shall be construed to relinquish the functions, powers, or duties of the Congress of the United States with respect to the control of any navigable waters within the basin, nor shall any provisions hereof be construed in derogation of any of the constitutional powers of the Congress to regulate commerce among the states and with foreign nations. The power and right of the Congress to withdraw the federal government as a party to this compact or to revise or modify the terms, conditions, and provisions under which it may remain a party by amendment, repeal, or modification of any federal statute applicable hereto is recognized by the signatory parties.

    1.5.    (a)    The duration of this compact shall be for an initial period of 100 years from its effective date, and it shall be continued for additional periods of 100 years if not less than 20 years nor more than 25 years prior to the termination of the initial period or any succeeding period none of the signatory states, by authority of an act of its legislature, notifies the commission of intention to terminate the compact at the end of the then current 100–year period.

        (b)    In the event this compact should be terminated by operation of paragraph (a) above, the commission shall be dissolved, its assets and liabilities transferred in accordance with the equities of the signatory parties therein, and its corporate affairs wound up in accordance with agreement of the signatory parties or, failing agreement, by act of the Congress.

Article 2

Organization and Area

    2.1.    The Susquehanna River Basin Commission is hereby created as a body politic and corporate, with succession for the duration of this compact, as an agency and instrumentality of the governments of the respective signatory parties.

    2.2.    The members of the commission shall be the governor or the designee of the governor of each signatory state, to act for him, and one member to be appointed by the President of the United States to serve at the pleasure of the President.

    2.3.    An alternate from each signatory party shall be appointed by its member of the commission unless otherwise provided by the laws of the signatory party. The alternate, in the absence of the member, shall represent the member and act for him. In the event of a vacancy in the office of alternate, it shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.

    2.4.    Members of the commission and alternates shall serve without compensation from the commission but may be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in and incident to the performance of their duties.

    2.5.    Each member is entitled to one vote. No action of the commission may be taken unless three of the four members vote in favor thereof.

    2.6.    The commission shall provide for its own organization and procedure, and shall adopt the rules and regulations governing its meetings and transactions. It shall organize annually by the election of a chairman and vice–chairman from among its members. It shall provide by its rules for the appointment by each member in his discretion of an advisor to serve without compensation from the commission, who may attend all meetings of the commission and its committees.

    2.7.    The commission shall have, exercise, and discharge its functions, powers, and duties within the limits of the basin. Outside the basin, the commission shall act at its discretion, but only to the extent necessary to implement its responsibilities within the basin, and where necessary subject to the consent of the state wherein it proposes to act.

Article 3

Powers and Duties of the Commission

    3.1.    The commission shall develop and effectuate plans, policies, and projects relating to the water resources of the basin. It shall adopt and promote uniform and coordinated policies for water resources conservation and management in the basin. It shall encourage and direct the planning, development, operation, and subject to applicable laws the financing of water resources projects according to such plans and policies.

    3.2.    It is the policy of the signatory parties to preserve and utilize the functions, powers, and duties of the existing offices and agencies of government to the extent consistent with this compact, and the commission is directed to utilize those offices and agencies for the purposes of this compact.

    3.3.    The commission in accordance with Article 14 of this compact, shall formulate and adopt:

        1.    A comprehensive plan, after consultation with appropriate water users and interested public bodies for the immediate and long range development and use of the water resources of the basin;

        2.    A water resources program, based upon the comprehensive plan, which shall include a systematic presentation of the quantity and quality of water resources needs of the area to be served for such reasonably foreseeable period as the commission may determine, balanced by existing and proposed projects required to satisfy such needs, including all public and private projects affecting the basin, together with a separate statement of the projects proposed to be undertaken by the commission during such period; and

        3.    An annual current expense budget and an annual capital budget consistent with the commission’s program, projects, and facilities for the budget period.

    3.4.    The commission may:

        1.    Plan, design, acquire, construct, reconstruct, complete, own, improve, extend, develop, operate, and maintain any and all projects, facilities, properties, activities, and services which are determined by the commission to be necessary, convenient, or useful for the purposes of this compact.

        2.    Establish standards of planning, design, and operation of all projects and facilities in the basin to the extent they affect water resources, including without limitation thereto water, sewage and other waste treatment plants and facilities, pipelines, transmission lines, stream and lake recreational facilities, trunk mains for water distribution, local flood protection works, watershed management programs, and ground water recharging operations.

        3.    Conduct and sponsor research on water resources and their planning, use, conservation, management, development, control, and protection, and the capacity, adaptability, and best utility of each facility thereof, and collect, compile, correlate, analyze, report, and interpret data on water resources and uses in the basin, including without limitation thereto the relation of water to other resources, industrial water technology, ground water movement, relation between water price and water demand and other economic factors, and general hydrological conditions.

        4.    Collect, compile, coordinate, and interpret systematic surface and ground water data, and publicize such information when and as needed for water uses, flood warning, quality maintenance, or other purposes.

        5.    Conduct ground and surface water investigations, tests, and operations, and compile data relating thereto as may be required to formulate and administer the comprehensive plan.

        6.    Prepare, publish, and disseminate information and reports concerning the water problems of the basin and for the presentation of the needs and resources of the basin and policies of the commission to executive and legislative branches of the signatory parties.

        7.    Negotiate loans, grants, gifts, services, or other aids as may be lawfully available from public or private sources to finance or assist in effectuating any of the purposes of this compact, and receive and accept them upon terms and conditions, and subject to provisions, as may be required by federal or state law or as the commission may deem necessary or desirable.

        8.    Exercise such other and different powers as may be delegated to it by this compact or otherwise pursuant to law, and have and exercise all powers necessary or convenient to carry out its express powers and other powers which reasonably may be implied therefrom.

        9.    Adopt, amend, and repeal rules and regulations to implement this compact.

    3.5.    The commission shall:

        1.    Develop and effectuate plans, policies, and projects relating to water resources, adopt, promote, and coordinate policies and standards for water resources conservation, control, utilization, and management, and promote and implement the planning, development, and financing of water resources projects.

        2.    Undertake investigations, studies, and surveys, and acquire, construct, operate, and maintain projects and facilities in regard to the water resources of the basin, whenever it is deemed necessary to do so to activate or effectuate any of the provisions of this compact.

        3.    Administer, manage, and control water resources in all matters determined by the commission to be interstate in nature or to have a major effect on the water resources and water resources management.

        4.    Assume jurisdiction in any matter affecting water resources whenever it determines after investigation and public hearing upon due notice given, that the effectuation of the comprehensive plan or the implementation of this compact so requires. If the commission finds upon subsequent hearing requested by an affected signatory party that the party will take the necessary action, the commission may relinquish jurisdiction.

        5.    Investigate and determine if the requirements of the compact or the rules and regulations of the commission are complied with, and if satisfactory progress has not been made, institute an action or actions in its own name in any state or federal court of competent jurisdiction to compel compliance with any and all of the provisions of this compact or any of the rules and regulations of the commission adopted pursuant thereto. An action shall be instituted in the name of the commission and shall be conducted by its own counsel.

    3.6.    (a)    Each of the signatory parties agrees that it will seek enactment of such additional legislation as will be required to enable its officers, departments, commissions, boards, and agents to accomplish effectively the obligations and duties assumed under the terms of this compact.

        (b)    Nothing in the compact shall be construed to repeal, modify, or qualify the authority of any signatory party to enact any legislation or enforce any additional conditions and restrictions within its jurisdiction.

    3.7.    The commission shall promote and aid the coordination of the activities and programs of federal, state, municipal, and private agencies concerned with water resources administration in the basin. To this end, but without limitation thereto, the commission may:

        1.    Advise, consult, contract, financially assist, or otherwise cooperate with any and all such agencies;

        2.    Employ any other agency or instrumentality of any of the signatory parties or of any political subdivision thereof, in the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of structures, and the installation and management of river control systems, or for any other purpose;

        3.    Develop and adopt plans and specifications for particular water resources projects and facilities which so far as consistent with the comprehensive plan incorporate any separate plans of other public and private organizations operating in the basin, and permit the decentralized administration thereof;

        4.    Qualify as a sponsoring agency under any federal legislation heretofore or hereafter enacted to provide financial or other assistance for the planning, conservation, utilization, development, management, or control of water resources.

    3.8.    (a)    The commission shall have power from time to time as the need appears, to allocate the waters of the basin to and among the states signatory to this compact and impose related conditions, obligations, and release requirements.

        (b)    The commission shall have power from time to time as the need appears to enter into agreements with other river basin commissions or other states with respect to in–basin and out–of–basin allocations, withdrawals, and diversions.

        (c)    No allocation of waters made pursuant to this section shall constitute a prior appropriation of the waters of the basin or confer any superiority of right in respect to the use of those waters, nor shall any such action be deemed to constitute an apportionment of the waters of the basin among the parties hereto. This subsection shall not be deemed to limit or restrict the power of the commission to enter into covenants with respect to water supply, with a duration not exceeding the life of this compact, as it may deem necessary for the benefit or development of the water resources of the basin.

    3.9.    The commission, from time to time after public notice and public hearing upon due notice given may fix, alter, and revise rates, rentals, charges, and tolls, and classifications thereof, without regulation or control by any department, office, or agency of any signatory party, for the use of facilities owned or operated by it, and any services or products which it provides.

    3.10.    No projects affecting the water resources of the basin, except those not requiring review and approval by the commission under paragraph 3 following, shall be undertaken by any person, governmental authority or other entity prior to submission to and approval by the commission or appropriate agencies of the signatory parties for review.

        1.    All water resources projects for which a permit or other form of permission to proceed with construction or implementation is required by legislative action of a signatory party or by rule or regulation of an office or agency of a signatory party having functions, powers, and duties in the planning, conservation, development, management, or control of water resources shall be submitted as heretofore to the appropriate office or agency of the signatory party for review and approval. To assure that the commission is apprised of all projects within the basin, monthly reports and listings of all permits granted, or similar actions taken, by offices or agencies of the signatory parties shall be submitted to the commission in a manner prescribed by it.

    Those projects which also require commission approval pursuant to the provisions of paragraphs 2(ii) and 2(iii) following shall be submitted to the commission through appropriate offices or agencies of a signatory party, except that, if no agency of a signatory party has jurisdiction, such projects shall be submitted directly to the commission in such manner as the commission shall prescribe.

        2.    Approval of the commission shall be required for, but not limited to, the following:

            (i)    All projects on or crossing the boundary between any two signatory states;

            (ii)    Any project involving the diversion of water;

            (iii)    Any project within the boundaries of any signatory state found and determined by the commission or by any agency of a signatory party having functions, powers, and duties in the planning, conservation, development, management, or control of water resources to have a significant effect on water resources within another signatory state; and

            (iv)    Any project which has been included by the commission, after hearing, as provided in Article 14, section 14.1, as a part of the commission’s comprehensive plan for the development of the water resources of the basin, or which would have a significant effect upon the plan.

        3.    Review and approval by the commission shall not be required for:

            (i)    Projects which fall into an exempt classification or designation established by legislative action of a signatory party or by rule or regulation of an office or agency of a signatory party having functions, powers, and duties in the planning, conservation, development, management, or control of water resources. The sponsors of those projects are not required to obtain a permit or other form of permission to proceed with construction or implementation, unless it is determined by the commission or by the agency of a signatory party that such project or projects may cause an adverse, adverse cumulative, or an interstate effect on water resources of the basin, and the project sponsor has been notified in writing by the commission or by the agency of a signatory party that commission approval is required.

            (ii)    Projects which are classified by the commission as not requiring its review and approval, for so long as they are so classified.

        4.    The commission shall approve a project if it determines that the project is not detrimental to the proper conservation, development, management, or control of the water resources of the basin and may modify and approve as modified, or may disapprove the project, if it determines that the project is not in the best interest of the conservation, development, management, or control of the basin’s water resources, or is in conflict with the comprehensive plan.

        5.    The commission, after consultation with the appropriate offices or agencies of the signatory parties, shall establish the procedure of submission, review, and consideration of projects. Any procedure for review and approval of diversions of water shall include public hearing on due notice given, with opportunity for interested persons, agencies, governmental units, and signatory parties to be heard and to present evidence. A complete transcript of the proceedings at the hearing shall be made and preserved, and it shall be made available under rules for that purpose adopted by the commission.

        6.    Any determination of the commission pursuant to this article or any article of the compact providing for judicial review shall be subject to such judicial review in any court of competent jurisdiction, provided that an action or proceeding for such review is commenced within 90 days from the effective date of the determination sought to be reviewed; but a determination of the commission concerning a diversion, under section 3.10–2 (ii) with the claimed effect of reducing below a proper minimum the flow of water in that portion of the basin within the area of a signatory party, shall be subject to judicial review under the particular provisions of paragraph 7 below.

        7.    Any signatory party deeming itself aggrieved by an action of the commission concerning a diversion under section 3.10–2 (ii) with the claimed effect of reducing below a proper minimum the flow of water in that portion of the basin which lies within the area of that signatory party, and notwithstanding the powers provided to the commission by this compact, may have review of commission action approving the diversion in the Supreme Court of the United States; provided that a proceeding for such review is commenced within one year from the date of action sought to be reviewed. Any such review shall be on the record made before the commission. The action of the commission shall be affirmed, unless the court finds that it is not supported by substantial evidence.

    3.11.    The commission may constitute and empower advisory committees.

Article 4

Water Supply

    4.1.    The commission shall have power to develop, implement, and effectuate plans and projects for the use of the water of the basin for domestic, municipal, agricultural, and industrial water supply. To this end, without limitation thereto, it may provide for, construct, acquire, operate, and maintain dams, reservoirs, and other facilities for utilization of surface and ground water resources, and all related structures, appurtenances, and equipment on the river and its tributaries and at such off–river sites as it may find appropriate, and may regulate and control the use thereof.

    4.2.    (a)    The commission shall have power to acquire, construct, operate, and control projects and facilities for the storage and release of waters, for the regulation of flows and supplies of surface and ground waters of the basin, for the protection of public health, stream quality control, economic development, improvement of fisheries, recreation, dilution and abatement of pollution, the prevention of undue salinity, and other purposes.

        (b)    No signatory party shall permit any augmentation of flow to be diminished by the diversion of any water of the basin during any period in which waters are being released from storage under the direction of the commission for the purpose of augmenting such flow, except in cases where the diversion is authorized by this compact, or by the commission pursuant thereto, or by the judgment, order, or decree of a court of competent jurisdiction.

    4.3.    The commission may provide water management and regulation in the main stream or any tributary in the basin and, in accordance with the procedures of applicable state laws, may assess on an annual basis or otherwise the cost thereof upon water users or any classification of them specially benefited thereby to a measurable extent, provided that no such assessment shall exceed the actual benefit to any water user. Any such assessment shall follow the procedure prescribed by law for local improvement assessments and shall be subject to review in any court of competent jurisdiction.

    4.4.    Prior to entering upon the execution of any project authorized by this article, the commission shall review and consider all existing rights, plans, and programs of the signatory parties, their political subdivisions, private parties, and water users which are pertinent to such project, and shall hold a public hearing on each proposed project.

    4.5.    In connection with any project authorized by this article, the commission shall have power to provide storage, treatment, pumping, and transmission facilities, but nothing herein shall be construed to authorize the commission to engage in the business of distributing water.

Article 5

Water Quality Management and Control

    5.1.    (a)    The commission may undertake or contract for investigations, studies, and surveys pertaining to existing water quality, effects of varied actual or projected operations on water quality, new compounds and materials and probable future water quality in the basin. The commission may receive, expend, and administer funds, federal, state, local, or private as may be available to carry out these functions relating to water quality investigations.

        (b)    The commission may acquire, construct, operate, and maintain projects and facilities for the management and control of water quality in the basin whenever the commission deems necessary to activate or effectuate any of the provisions of this compact.

    5.2.    (a)    In order to conserve, protect, and utilize the water quality of the basin in accordance with the best interests of the people of the basin and the states, it shall be the policy of the commission to encourage and coordinate the efforts of the signatory parties to prevent, reduce, control, and eliminate water pollution and to maintain water quality as required by the comprehensive plan.

        (b)    The legislative intent in enacting this article is to give specific emphasis to the primary role of the states in water quality management and control.

        (c)    The commission shall recommend to the signatory parties the establishment, modification, or amendment of standards of quality for any waters of the basin in relation to their reasonable and necessary use as the commission shall deem to be in the public interest.

        (d)    The commission shall encourage cooperation and uniform enforcement programs and policies by the water quality control agencies of the signatory parties in meeting the water quality standards established in the comprehensive plan.

        (e)    The commission may assume jurisdiction whenever it determines after investigation and public hearing upon due notice given that the effectuation of the comprehensive plan so requires. After such investigation, notice, and hearing, the commission may adopt such rules, regulations, and water quality standards as may be required to preserve, protect, improve, and develop the quality of the waters of the basin in accordance with the comprehensive plan.

    5.3.    (a)    Each of the signatory parties agrees to prohibit and control pollution of the waters of the basin according to the requirements of this compact and to cooperate faithfully in the control of future pollution in and abatement of existing pollution from the waters of the basin.

        (b)    The commission shall have the authority to investigate and determine if the requirements of the compact or the rules, regulations, and water quality standards of the commission are complied with and if satisfactory progress has not been made, may institute an action or actions in its own name in the proper court or courts of competent jurisdiction to compel compliance with any and all of the provisions of this compact or any of the rules, regulations, and water quality standards of the commission adopted pursuant thereto.

    5.4.    Nothing in this compact shall be construed to repeal, modify, or qualify the authority of any signatory party to enact any legislation or enforce any additional conditions and restrictions to lessen or prevent the pollution of waters within its jurisdiction.

Article 6

Flood Protection

    6.1.    The commission may plan, design, construct, and operate and maintain projects and facilities it deems necessary or desirable for flood plain development and flood damage reduction. It shall have power to operate such facilities and to store and release waters of the Susquehanna River and its tributaries and elsewhere within the basin, in such manner, at such times, and under such regulations as the commission may deem appropriate to meet flood conditions as they may arise.

    6.2.    (a)    The commission may study and determine the nature and extent of the flood plains of the Susquehanna River and its tributaries. Upon the basis of the studies, it may delineate areas subject to flooding, including but not limited to a classification of lands with reference to relative risk of flooding and the establishment of standards for flood plain use which will promote economic development and safeguard the public health, welfare, safety, and property. Prior to the adoption of any standards delineating the area or defining the use, the commission shall hold public hearings with respect to the substance of the standards in the manner provided by Article 15. The proposed standards shall be available from the commission at the time notice is given, and interested persons shall be given an opportunity to be heard thereon at the hearings.

        (b)    The commission shall have power to promulgate, adopt, amend, and repeal from time to time as necessary, standards relating to the nature and extent of the uses of land in areas subject to flooding.

        (c)    In taking action pursuant to subsection (b) of this section and as a prerequisite thereto, the commission shall consider the effect of particular uses of the flood plain in question on the health and safety of persons and property in the basin, the economic and technical feasibility of measures available for the development and protection of the flood plain, and the responsibilities, if any, of local, state, and federal governments connected with the use or proposed use of the flood plain in question. The commission shall regulate the use of particular flood plains in the manner and degree it finds necessary for the factors enumerated in this subsection, but only with the consent of the affected signatory state, and shall suspend such regulation when and so long as the signatory party or parties or political subdivision possessing jurisdiction have in force applicable laws which the commission finds give adequate protection for the purposes of this section.

        (d)    In order to conserve, protect, and utilize the Susquehanna River and its tributaries in accordance with the best interests of the people of the basin and the signatory parties, it shall be the policy of the commission to encourage and coordinate the efforts of the signatory parties to control modification of the river and its tributaries by encroachment.

    6.3.    The commission shall have power to acquire the fee or any lesser interest in lands and improvements thereon within the area of a flood plain for the purpose of regulating the use or types of construction of such property to minimize the flood hazard, convert the property to uses or types of construction appropriate to flood plain conditions, or prevent constrictions or obstructions that reduce the ability of the river channel and flood plain to carry flood water.

    6.4.    No rule or regulation issued by the commission pursuant to this shall be construed to require the demolition, removal, or alteration of any structure in place or under construction prior to the issuance thereof, without the payment of just compensation therefor. However, new construction or any addition to or alteration in any existing structure made or commenced subsequent to the issuance of such rule or regulation, or amendment, shall conform thereto.

    6.5.    The regulation of use of flood plain lands is within the police powers of the signatory states for the protection of public health and the safety of the people and their property and shall not be deemed a taking of land or lands for which compensation shall be paid to the owners thereof.

    6.6.    Each of the signatory parties agrees to control flood plain use along and encroachment upon the Susquehanna and its tributaries and to cooperate faithfully in these respects.

    6.7.    Nothing in this article shall be construed to prevent or in any way to limit the power of any signatory party, or any agency or subdivision thereof, to issue or adopt and enforce any requirement or requirements with respect to flood plain use or construction thereon more stringent than the rules, regulations, or encroachment lines in force pursuant to this article. The commission may appear in any court of competent jurisdiction to bring actions or proceedings in law or equity to enforce the provisions of this article.

    6.8.    The signatory states agree that dumping or littering upon or in the waters of the Susquehanna River or its tributaries or upon the frozen surfaces thereof of any rubbish, trash, litter, debris, abandoned properties, waste material, or offensive matter, is prohibited and that the law enforcement officials of each state shall enforce this prohibition.

Article 7

Watershed Management

    7.1.    The commission shall promote sound practices of watershed management in the basin, including projects and facilities to retard runoff and waterflow and prevent soil erosion.

    7.2.    The commission, subject to the limitations in section 7.4 (b), may acquire, sponsor, or operate facilities and projects to encourage soil conservation, prevent and control erosion, and promote land reclamation and sound land and forest management.

    7.3.    The commission, subject to the limitations in section 7.4 (b), may acquire, sponsor, or operate projects and facilities for the maintenance and improvement of fish and wildlife habitat related to the water resources of the basin.

    7.4.    (a)    The commission shall cooperate with the appropriate agencies of the signatory parties and with other public and private agencies in the planning and effectuation of a coordinated program of facilities and projects authorized by this article.

        (b)    The commission shall not acquire or operate any such project or facility unless it has first found and determined that no other suitable unit or agency of government is in a position to acquire or operate the same upon reasonable conditions, or such unit or agency fails to do so.

Article 8

Recreation

    8.1.    The commission may provide for the development of water related public sports and recreational facilities. The commission on its own account or in cooperation with a signatory party, political subdivision or any agency thereof, may provide for the construction, maintenance, and administration of such facilities, subject to the provisions of section 8.2 hereof.

    8.2.    (a)    The commission shall cooperate with the appropriate agencies of the signatory parties and with other public and private agencies in the planning and effectuation of a coordinated program or facilities and projects authorized by this article.

        (b)    The commission shall not operate any such project or facility unless it has first found and determined that no other suitable unit or agency of government is available to operate the same upon reasonable conditions.

    8.3.    The commission, within limits prescribed by this article, shall:

        1.    Encourage activities of other public agencies having water related recreational interests and assist in the coordination thereof;

        2.    Recommend standards for the development and administration of water related recreational facilities;

        3.    Provide for the administration, operation, and maintenance of recreation facilities owned or controlled by the commission and for the letting and supervision of private concessions in accordance with this article.

    8.4.    The commission, after public hearing on due notice given, shall provide by regulation a procedure for the award of contracts for private concessions in connection with its recreational facilities, including any renewal or extension thereof, under terms and conditions determined by the commission.

Article 9

Other Public Values

    9.1.    The signatory parties agree that it is a purpose of this compact in effectuating the conservation and management of water resources to preserve and promote the economic and other values inherent in the historic and the scenic and other natural amenities of the Susquehanna River Basin for the enjoyment and enrichment of future generations, for the promotion and protection of tourist attractions in the basin, and for the maintenance of the economic health of allied enterprises and occupations so as to effect orderly, balanced, and considered development in the basin.

    9.2.    To this end, the signatory parties agree that in the consideration, authorization, construction, maintenance, and operation of all water resources projects in the Susquehanna Basin, their agencies and subdivisions, and the Susquehanna River Basin Commission will consider the compatibility of such projects with these other public values.

    9.3.    The commission may recommend to governmental units with jurisdiction within areas considered for scenic or historic designation minimum standards of regulation of land and water use and such other protective measures as the commission may deem desirable.

    9.4.    The commission may draft and recommend for adoption ordinances and regulations which would assist, promote, develop, and protect those areas and the character of their communities. Local governments may consider parts of their area which have been designated scenic or historic areas under the provisions of this article separately from the municipality as a whole, and pursuant to the laws of the state governing the adoption of those regulations generally may enact regulations limited to the designated area. In making recommendations to a local government which is partly in and partly out of such a scenic or historic area the commission may make recommendations for the entire municipality.

Article 10

Hydroelectric Power

    10.1.    The waters of the Susquehanna River and its tributaries may be impounded and used by or under authority of the commission for the generation of hydroelectric power and hydroelectric energy in accordance with the comprehensive plan.

    10.2.    The commission may develop and operate, or authorize to be developed and operated, dams and related facilities and appurtenances for the purpose of generating electric power and hydroelectric energy.

    10.3.    The commission may provide facilities for the transmission of hydroelectric power and hydroelectric energy produced by it where such facilities are not otherwise available upon reasonable terms, for the purpose of wholesale marketing of power and nothing herein shall be construed to authorize the commission to engage in the business of direct sale to consumers.

    10.4.    The commission, after public hearing on due notice given, may enter into contracts on reasonable terms, consideration, and duration under which public utilities or public agencies may develop hydroelectric power and hydroelectric energy through the use of dams, related facilities, and appurtenances.

    10.5.    Rates and charges fixed by the commission for power which is produced by its facilities shall be reasonable, nondiscriminatory, and just.

Article 11

Regulation of Withdrawal and Diversions; Protected Areas and Emergencies

    11.1.    The commission may regulate and control withdrawals and diversions from surface waters and ground waters of the basin, as provided by this article. The commission may enter into agreements with the signatory parties relating to the exercise of such power or regulation or control and may delegate to any of them such powers of the commission as it may deem necessary or desirable.

    11.2.    The commission, from time to time after public hearing upon due notice given, may determine and delineate such areas within the basin wherein the demands upon supply made by water users have developed or threaten to develop to such a degree as to create a water shortage or impair or conflict with the requirements or effectuation of the comprehensive plan, and any such area may be designated as a protected area, with the consent of the member or members from the affected state or states. The commission, whenever it determines that such shortage no longer exists, shall terminate the protected status of such area and shall give public notice of such termination.

    11.3.    In any protected areas so determined and delineated, no person shall divert or withdraw water for domestic, municipal, agricultural, or industrial uses in excess of such quantities as the commission may prescribe by general regulations, except (1) pursuant to a permit granted under this article, or (2) pursuant to a permit or approval heretofore granted under the laws of any of the signatory states.

    11.4.    (a)    In the event of a drought which may cause an actual and immediate shortage of available water supply within the basin, or within any part thereof, the commission after public hearing upon due notice given, may determine and delineate the area of the shortage and by unanimous vote declare a drought emergency therein. For the duration of the drought emergency as determined by the commission, it thereupon may direct increases or decreases in any allocations, diversions, or releases previously granted or required, for a limited time to meet the emergency condition.

        (b)    In the event of a disaster or catastrophe other than drought, natural or manmade, which causes or may cause an actual and immediate shortage of available and usable water, the commission by unanimous consent may impose direct controls on the use of water and shall take such action as is necessary to coordinate the effort of federal, state, and local agencies and other persons and entities affected.

    11.5.    Permits shall be granted, modified, or denied, as the case may be, to avoid such depletion of the natural stream flows and ground waters in the protected area or in an emergency area as will adversely affect the comprehensive plan or the just and equitable interests and rights of other lawful users of the same source, giving due regard to the need to balance and reconcile alternative and conflicting uses in the event of an actual or threatened shortage of water of the quality required.

    11.6.    The determinations and delineations of the commission pursuant to section 11.2 and the granting, modification or denial of permits pursuant to sections 11.3, 11.4, and 11.5 shall be subject to judicial review in any court of competent jurisdiction.

    11.7.    Each signatory party shall provide for the maintenance and preservation of such records of authorized diversions and withdrawals and the annual volume thereof as the commission shall prescribe. Such records and supplementary reports shall be furnished to the commission at its request.

    11.8.    Whenever the commission finds it necessary or desirable to exercise the powers conferred with respect to emergencies by this article, any diversion or withdrawal permits authorized or issued under the laws of any of the signatory states shall be superseded to the extent of any conflict with the control and regulation exercised by the commission.

Article 12

Intergovernmental Relations

    12.1.    For the purposes of avoiding conflicts of jurisdiction and of giving full effect to the commission as a regional agency of the signatory parties, the following rules shall govern federal projects affecting the water resources of the basin, subject in each case to the provisions of section 1.4 of this compact:

        1.    The planning of all projects related to powers delegated to the commission by this compact shall be undertaken in consultation with the commission.

        2.    No expenditure or commitment shall be made for or on account of the construction, acquisition, or operation of any project or facility nor shall it be deemed authorized, unless it shall have first been included by the commission in the comprehensive plan.

        3.    Each federal agency otherwise authorized by law to plan, design, construct, operate or maintain any project or facility in or for the basin shall continue to have, exercise, and discharge such authority except as specifically provided by this section.

    12.2.    For the purposes of avoiding conflicts of jurisdiction and of giving full effect to the commission as a regional agency of the signatory parties, the following rules shall govern projects of the signatory states, their political subdivisions and public corporations affecting water resources of the basin:

        1.    The planning of all projects related to powers delegated to the commission by this compact shall be undertaken in consultation with the commission;

        2.    No expenditure or commitment shall be made for or on account of the construction, acquisition, or operation of any project or facility unless it first has been included by the commission in the comprehensive plan;

        3.    Each state and local agency otherwise authorized by law to plan, design, construct, operate, or maintain any project or facility in or for the basin shall continue to have, exercise, and discharge such authority, except as specifically provided by this section.

    12.3.    Each of the signatory parties reserves the right to levy, assess, and collect fees, charges, and taxes on or measured by the withdrawal or diversion of waters of the basin for use within the jurisdiction of the respective signatory parties.

    12.4.    The commission shall establish uniform standards and procedures for the evaluation, determination of benefits, and cost allocations of projects affecting the basin, and for the determination of project priorities, pursuant to the requirements of the comprehensive plan and its water resources program. The commission shall develop equitable cost sharing and reimbursement formulas for the signatory parties including:

        1.    Uniform and consistent procedures for the allocation of project costs among purposes included in multiple–purpose programs;

        2.    Contracts and arrangements for sharing financial responsibility among and with signatory parties, public bodies, groups, and private enterprise, and for the supervision of their performance;

        3.    Establishment and supervision of a system of accounts for reimbursement purposes and directing the payments and charges to be made from such accounts;

        4.    Determining the basis and apportioning amounts (i) of reimbursable revenues to be paid signatory parties or their political subdivisions, and (ii) of payments in lieu of taxes to any of them.

    12.5.    The commission shall furnish technical services, advice, and consultation to authorized agencies of the signatory parties with respect to the water resources of the basin, and each of the signatory parties pledges itself to provide technical and administrative service to the commission upon request, within the limits of available appropriations, and to cooperate generally with the commission for the purposes of this compact, and the cost of such service may be reimbursable whenever the parties deem appropriate.

Article 13

Capital Financing

    13.1.    The commission may borrow money for any of the purposes of this compact and may issue its negotiable bonds and other evidences of indebtedness in respect thereto.

    All such bonds and evidences of indebtedness shall be payable solely out of the properties and revenues of the commission without recourse to taxation. The bonds and other obligations of the commission, except as may be otherwise provided in the indenture under which they were issued, shall be direct and general obligations of the commission, and the full faith and credit of the commission are hereby pledged for the prompt payment of the debt service thereon and for the fulfillment of all other undertakings of the commission assumed by it to or for the benefit of the holders thereof.

    13.2.    The purposes of this compact shall include without limitation thereto all costs of any project or facility or any part thereof, including interest during a period of construction and a reasonable time thereafter and any incidental expenses (legal, engineering, fiscal, financial consultant, and other expenses) connected with issuing and disposing of the bonds; all amounts required for the creation of an operating fund, construction fund, reserve fund, sinking fund, or other special fund; all other expenses connected with the planning, design, acquisition, construction, completion, improvement, or reconstruction of any facility or any part thereof, and reimbursement of advances by the commission or by others for such purposes and for working capital.

    13.3.    The commission shall have no power to pledge the credit of any signatory party or of any county or municipality, or to impose any obligation for payment of the bonds upon any signatory party or any county or municipality. Neither the commissioners nor any person executing the bonds shall be liable personally on the bonds of the commission or be subject to any personal liability or accountability by reason of the issuance thereof.

    13.4.    Whenever the commission deems it expedient, it may fund and refund its bonds and other obligations, whether or not such bonds and obligations have matured. It may provide for the issuance, sale, or exchange of refunding bonds for the purpose of redeeming or retiring any bonds (including payment of any premium, duplicate interest, or cash adjustment required in connection therewith) issued by the commission or issued by any other issuing body, the proceeds of the sale of which have been applied to any facility acquired by the commission or which are payable out of the revenues of any facility acquired by the commission. Bonds may be issued partly to refund bonds and other obligations then outstanding, and partly for any other purpose of the commission. All provisions of this compact applicable to the issuance of bonds are applicable to refunding bonds and to the issuance, sale, or exchange thereof.

    13.5.    Bonds and other indebtedness of the commission shall be authorized by resolution of the commission. The validity of the authorization and issuance of any bonds by the commission shall not be dependent upon or affected in any way by: (1) the disposition of bond proceeds by the commission or by contract, commitment or action taken with respect to such proceeds; or (2) the failure to complete any part of the project for which bonds are authorized to be issued. The commission may issue bonds in one or more series and may provide for one or more consolidated bond issues, in such principal amounts and with such terms and provisions as the commission may deem necessary. The bonds may be secured by a pledge of all or any part of the property, revenues, and franchises under its control. Bonds may be issued by the commission in such amount, with such maturities and in such denominations and form or forms, whether coupon or registered, as to both principal and interest, as may be determined by the commission. The commission may provide for redemption of bonds prior to maturity on such notice and at such time or times and with such redemption provisions, including premiums, as the commission may determine.

    13.6.    The commission may determine and enter into indentures providing for the principal amount, date or dates, maturities, interest rate, denominations, form, registration, transfer, interchange, and other provisions of the bonds and coupons and the terms and conditions upon which the same shall be executed, issued, secured, sold, paid, redeemed, funded, and refunded. The resolution of the commission authorizing any bond or any indenture so authorized under which the bonds are issued may include all such covenants and other provisions other than any restriction on the regulatory powers vested in the commission by this compact as the commission may deem necessary or desirable for the issue, payment, security, protection, or marketing of the bonds, including without limitation covenants and other provisions as to the rates or amounts of fees, rents, and other charges to be charged or made for use of the facilities; the use, pledge, custody, securing, application, and disposition of such revenues, of the proceeds of the bonds, and of any other moneys of the commission; the operation, maintenance, repair, and reconstruction of the facilities and the amounts which may be expended therefor; the sale, lease, or other disposition of the facilities; the insuring of the facilities and of the revenues derived therefrom; the construction or other acquisition of other facilities; the issuance of additional bonds or other indebtedness; the rights of the bondholders and of any trustee for the bondholders upon default by the commission or otherwise; and the modification of the provisions of the indenture and of the bonds. Reference on the face of the bonds to such resolution or indenture by its date of adoption or the apparent date on the face thereof is sufficient to incorporate all of the provisions thereof and of this compact into the body of the bonds and their appurtenant coupons. Each taker and subsequent holder of the bonds or coupons, whether the coupons are attached to or detached from the bonds, has recourse to all of the provisions of the indenture and of this compact and is bound thereby.

    13.7.    No bond or its terms shall mature in more than fifty years from its own date, or on any date subsequent to the duration of this compact, and in the event any authorized issue is divided into two or more series or divisions, the maximum maturity date herein authorized shall be calculated from the date on the face of each bond separately, irrespective of the fact that different dates may be prescribed for the bonds of each separate series or division of any authorized issue.

    13.8.    All bonds issued by the commission under the provisions of this compact and the interest thereon shall at all times be free and exempt from all taxation by or under authority of any of the signatory parties, except for transfer, inheritance, and estate taxes.

    13.9.    Bonds shall bear interest at such rate as the commission determines payable annually or semiannually.

    13.10.    The commission may provide for the payment of the principal and interest of bonds at any place or places within or without the signatory states, and in any specified lawful coin or currency of the United States of America.

    13.11.    The commission may provide for the execution and authentication of bonds by the manual, lithographed, or printed facsimile signature of officers of the commission, and by additional authentication by a trustee or fiscal agent appointed by the commission. If any of the officers whose signatures or countersignatures appear upon the bonds or coupons ceases to be an officer before the delivery of the bonds or coupons, his signature or countersignature is nevertheless valid and of the same force and effect as if the officer had remained in office until the delivery of the bonds and coupons.

    13.12.    The commission shall have power out of any funds available therefor to purchase its bonds and may hold, cancel, or resell such bonds.

    13.13.    The commission may fix terms and conditions for the sale or other disposition of any authorized issue of bonds and may sell its bonds at less than their par or face value. All bonds issued and sold for cash pursuant to this compact shall be sold on sealed proposals to the highest bidder. Prior to such sale, the commission shall advertise for bids by publication of a notice of sale not less than ten days prior to the date of sale, at least once in a newspaper of general circulation printed and published in New York City carrying municipal bonds notices and devoted primarily to financial news. The commission may reject any and all bids submitted and may thereafter sell the bonds so advertised for sale at private sale to any financially responsible bidder under such terms and conditions as it deems most advantageous to the public interest, but the bonds shall not be sold at a net interest cost calculated upon the entire issue so advertised, greater than the lowest bid which was rejected. In the event the commission desires to issue its bonds in exchange for an existing facility or portion thereof, or in exchange for bonds secured by the revenues of an existing facility, it may exchange such bonds for the existing facility or portion thereof or for the bonds so secured, plus an additional amount of cash, without advertising such bonds for sale.

    13.14.    All bonds issued under the provisions of this compact are negotiable instruments, except when registered in the name of a registered owner.

    13.15.    Bonds of the commission shall be legal investments for savings banks, fiduciaries and public funds in each of the signatory states.

    13.16.    Prior to the issuance of any bonds, the commission may institute a special proceeding to determine the legality of proceedings to issue the bonds and their validity under the laws of any of the signatory parties. Such proceedings shall be instituted and prosecuted in rem, and the judgment rendered therein shall be conclusive against all persons whomsoever and against each of the signatory parties.

    13.17.    No indenture need be recorded or filed in any public office, other than the office of the commission. The pledge of revenues provided in any indenture shall take effect forthwith as provided therein and irrespective of the date of receipts of such revenues by the commission or the indenture trustee. Such pledge shall be effective as provided in the indenture without physical delivery of the revenues to the commission or the indenture trustee.

    13.18.    Bond redemption and interest payments, to the extent provided in the resolution or indenture, shall constitute a first, direct and exclusive charge and lien on all such rates, rents, tolls, fees, and charges and other revenues and interest thereon received from the use and operation of the facility, and on any sinking or other funds created therefrom. All such rates, rents, tolls, fees, charges and other revenues, together with interest thereon, shall constitute a trust fund for the security and payment of such bonds, and except as and to the extent provided in the indenture with respect to the payment therefrom of expenses for other purposes including administration, operation, maintenance, improvements, or extensions of the facilities or other purposes shall not be used or pledged for any other purpose so long as such bonds, or any of them, are outstanding, and unpaid.

    13.19.    The holder of any bond may for the equal benefit and protection of all holders of bonds similarly situated; (1) by mandamus or other appropriate proceedings require and compel the performance of any of the duties imposed upon the commission or assumed by it, its officers, agents, or employees under the provisions of any indenture, in connection with the acquisition, construction, operation, maintenance, repair, reconstruction, or insurance of the facilities, or in connection with the collection, deposit, investment, application, and disbursement of the rates, rents, tolls, fees, charges, and other revenues derived from the operation and use of the facilities, or in connection with the deposit, investment, and disbursement of the proceeds received from the sale of bonds; or (2) by action or suit in a court of competent jurisdiction of any signatory party require the commission to account as if it were the trustee of an express trust, or enjoin any acts or things which may be unlawful or in violation of the rights of the holders of the bonds. The enumeration of such rights and remedies, however, does not exclude the exercise or prosecution of any other rights or remedies available to the holders of bonds.

    13.20.    (a)    The signatory parties shall provide such capital funds required for projects of the commission as may be authorized by their respective statutes in accordance with a cost–sharing plan prepared pursuant to Article 12 of this compact; but nothing in this section shall be deemed to impose any mandatory obligation on any of the signatory parties other than such obligations as may be assumed by a signatory party in connection with a specific project or facility.

        (b)    Bonds of the commission, notwithstanding any other provision of this compact, may be executed and delivered to any duly authorized agency of any of the signatory parties without public offering and may be sold and resold with or without the guaranty of such signatory party, subject to and in accordance with the constitutions of the respective signatory parties.

        (c)    The commission may receive and accept, and the signatory parties may make, loans, grants, appropriations, advances, and payments of reimbursable or nonreimbursable funds or property in any form for the capital or operating purposes of the commission.

Article 14

Plan, Program and Budgets

    14.1.    The commission shall develop and adopt, and may from time to time review and revise, a comprehensive plan for the immediate and long range development and use of the water resources of the basin. The plan shall include all public and private projects and facilities which are required, in the judgment of the commission, for the optimum planning, development, conservation, utilization, management, and control of the water resources of the basin to meet present and future needs. The commission may adopt a comprehensive plan or any revision thereof in such part or parts as it may deem appropriate, provided that before the adoption of the plan or any part or revision thereof the commission shall consult with water users and interested public bodies and public utilities and shall consider and give due regard to the findings and recommendations of the various agencies of the signatory parties, their political subdivisions, and interested groups. The commission shall conduct public hearings upon due notice given with respect to the comprehensive plan prior to the adoption of the plan or any part of the revision thereof, except that public and private projects and facilities which, in the judgment of the commission, are not required for the optimum planning, development, conservation, utilization, management, and control of the water resources of the basin and which, in the judgment of the commission, will not significantly affect the water resources of the basin, may be added directly to the comprehensive plan at any time at the discretion of the commission without public hearing thereon. The comprehensive plan shall take into consideration the effect of the plan or any part thereof upon the receiving waters of Chesapeake Bay.

    14.2.    The commission shall annually adopt a water resources program, based upon the comprehensive plan, consisting of the projects and facilities which the commission proposes to be undertaken by the commission and by other authorized governmental and private agencies, organizations, and persons during the ensuing six years or such other reasonably foreseeable period as the commission may determine. The water resources program shall include a systematic presentation of:

        1.    The quantity and quality of water resources needs for such period;

        2.    The existing and proposed projects and facilities required to satisfy such needs, including all public and private projects to be anticipated; and

        3.    A separate statement of the projects proposed to be undertaken by the commission during such period.

    14.3.    (a)    The commission shall annually adopt a capital budget including all capital projects it proposes to undertake or continue during the budget period containing a statement of the estimated cost of each project and the method of financing thereof.

        (b)    The commission shall annually adopt a current expense budget for each fiscal year. Such budget shall include the commission’s estimated expenses for administration, operation, maintenance, and repairs, including a separate statement thereof for each project, together with its cost allocation. The total of such expenses shall be balanced by the commission’s estimated revenues from all sources, including the cost allocations undertaken by any of the signatory parties in connection with any project. Following the adoption of the annual current expense budget by the commission, the executive director of the commission shall:

            1.    Certify to the respective signatory parties the amounts due in accordance with existing cost sharing established for each project; and

            2.    Transmit certified copies of such budget to the principal budget officer of the respective signatory parties at such time and in such manner as may be required under their respective budgetary procedures. The amount required to balance the current expense budget in addition to the aggregate amount of item 1 above and all other revenues available to the commission shall be apportioned equitably among the signatory parties by unanimous vote of the commission, and the amount of such apportionment to each signatory party shall be certified together with the budget.

        (c)    The respective signatory parties covenant and agree to include the amounts so apportioned for the support of the current expense budget in their respective budgets next to be adopted, subject to such review and approval as may be required by their respective budgetary processes. Such amounts shall be due and payable to the commission in quarterly installments during its fiscal year, provided that the commission may draw upon its working capital to finance its current expense budget pending remittance by the signatory parties.

Article 15

General Provisions

    15.1.    (a)    The commission, for the purposes of this compact, may:

            1.    Adopt and use a corporate seal, enter into contracts, and sue and be sued in any court of competent jurisdiction;

            2.    Receive and accept such payments, appropriations, grants, gifts, loans, advances, and other funds, properties, and services as may be transferred or made available to it by any signatory party or by any other public or private corporation or individual, and enter into agreements to make reimbursement for all or part thereof;

            3.    Provide for, acquire, and adopt detailed engineering, administrative, financial, and operating plans and specifications to effectuate, maintain, or develop any facility or project;

            4.    Control and regulate the use of facilities owned or operated by the commission;

            5.    Acquire, own, operate, maintain, control, sell and convey real and personal property and any interest therein by contract, purchase, lease, license, mortgage, or otherwise as it may deem necessary for any project or facility, including any and all appurtenances thereto necessary, useful, or convenient for such ownership, operation, control, maintenance, or conveyance;

            6.    Have and exercise all corporate powers essential to the declared objects and purposes of the commission.

        (b)    The commissioners, subject to the provisions of this compact, shall:

            1.    Serve as the governing body of the commission, and exercise and discharge its powers and duties, except as otherwise provided by or pursuant to this compact;

            2.    Determine the character of and the necessity for its obligations and expenditures and the manner in which they shall be incurred, allowed, and paid subject to any provisions of law specifically applicable to agencies or instrumentalities created by this compact;

            3.    Provide for the internal organization and administration of the commission;

            4.    Appoint the principal officers of the commission and delegate to and allocate among them administrative functions, powers and duties;

            5.    Create and abolish offices, employments, and positions as it deems necessary for the purposes of the commission, and subject to the provisions of this article, fix and provide for the qualification, appointments, removal, term, tenure, compensation, pension, and retirement rights of its officers and employees;

            6.    Let and execute contracts to carry out the powers of the commission.

    15.2.    The commission may:

        1.    Make and enforce rules and regulations for the effectuation, application, and enforcement of this compact; and it may adopt and enforce practices and schedules for or in connection with the use, maintenance, and administration of projects and facilities it may own or operate and any product or service rendered thereby; provided that any rule or regulation, other than one which deals solely with the internal management of the commission, shall not be effective unless and until filed in accordance with the law of the respective signatory parties applicable to administrative rules and regulations generally; and

        2.    Designate any officer, agent, or employee of the commission to be an investigator or watchman and such person shall be vested with the powers of a peace officer of the state in which he is duly assigned to perform his duties.

    15.3.    The commission, its property, functions, and activities shall be exempt from taxation by or under the authority of any of the signatory parties or any political subdivision thereof; provided that in lieu of property taxes the commission, as to its specific projects, shall make payments to local taxing districts in annual amounts which shall equal the taxes lawfully assessed upon property for the tax year next prior to its acquisition by the commission for a period of ten years. The nature and amount of such payments shall be reviewed by the commission at the end of ten years, and from time to time thereafter, upon reasonable notice and opportunity to be heard to the affected taxing district, and the payments may be thereupon terminated or continued in such reasonable amount as may be necessary or desirable to take into account hardships incurred and benefits received by the taxing jurisdiction which are attributable to the project.

    15.4.    (a)    All meetings of the commission shall be open to the public.

        (b)    The commission shall conduct at least one public hearing in each state prior to the adoption of the initial comprehensive plan. In all other cases wherein this compact requires a public hearing, such hearing shall be held upon not less than twenty days’ public notice given by posting at the offices of the commission, and published at least once in a newspaper or newspapers of general circulation in the area or areas affected. The commission shall also provide forthwith for distribution of such notice to the press and by the mailing of a copy thereof to any person who shall request such notices.

        (c)    The minutes of the commission shall be a public record open to inspection at its offices during regular business hours.

    15.5.    (a)    The officers of the commission shall consist of an executive director and such additional officers, deputies, and assistants as the commission may determine. The executive director shall be appointed and may be removed by the affirmative vote of a majority of the full membership of the commission. All other officers and employees shall be appointed or dismissed by the executive director under such rules of procedure as the commission may establish.

        (b)    In the appointment and promotion of officers and employees for the commission, no political, racial, religious, or residence test or qualification shall be permitted or given consideration, but all such appointments and promotions shall be solely on the basis of merit and fitness. Any officer or employee of the commission who is found by the commission to be guilty of a violation of this section shall be immediately dismissed.

    15.6.    An oath of office in such form as the commission shall prescribe shall be taken, subscribed, and filed with the commission by the executive director and by each officer appointed by him not later than fifteen days after the appointment.

    15.7.    Each officer shall give such bond and in such form and amount as the commission may require, for which the commission shall pay the premium.

    15.8.    (a)    No commissioner, officer or employee shall:

            1.    Be financially interested, either directly or indirectly, in any contract, sale, purchase, lease, or transfer of real or personal property to which the commission is a party;

            2.    Solicit or accept money or any other thing of value in addition to the compensation or expense paid him by the commission for services performed within the scope of his official duties;

            3.    Offer money or any thing of value for or in consideration of obtaining an appointment, promotion, or privilege in his employment with the commission.

        (b)    Any officer or employee who willfully violates any of the provisions of this section shall forfeit his office or employment.

        (c)    Any contract or agreement knowingly made in contravention of this section is void.

        (d)    Officers and employees of the commission shall be subject, in addition to the provisions of this section, to such criminal and civil sanctions for misconduct in office as may be imposed by federal law and the law of the signatory state in which such misconduct occurs.

    15.9.    Contracts for the construction, reconstruction or improvement of any facility when the expenditure required exceeds ten thousand dollars, and contracts for the purchase of services, supplies, equipment, and materials when the expenditure required exceeds five thousand dollars shall be advertised and let upon sealed bids to the lowest responsible bidder. Notice requesting such bids shall be published in a manner reasonably likely to attract prospective bidders, which publication shall be made at least thirty days before bids are received and in at least two newspapers of general circulation in the basin. The commission may reject any and all bids and readvertise in its discretion. If after rejecting bids the commission determines and resolves that in its opinion the supplies, equipment, and materials may be purchased at a lower price in the open market, the commission may give each responsible bidder an opportunity to negotiate a price and may proceed to purchase the supplies, equipment, and materials in the open market at a negotiated price which is lower than the lowest rejected bid of a responsible bidder, without further observance of the provisions requiring bids or notice. The commission shall adopt rules and regulations to provide for purchasing from the lowest responsible bidder when sealed bids, notice, and publication are not required by this section. The commission may suspend and waive the provisions of this section requiring competitive bids whenever:

        1.    The purchase is to be made from or the contract to be made with the federal or any state government or any agency or political subdivision thereof or pursuant to any open and bulk purchase contract of any of them;

        2.    The public exigency requires the immediate delivery of the articles or performance of the service;

        3.    Only one source of supply is available;

        4.    The equipment to be purchased is of a technical nature and the procurement thereof without advertising is necessary in order to assure standardization of equipment and interchangeability of parts in the public interest; or

        5.    Services are to be provided of a specialized or professional nature.

    15.10.    The commission may self–insure or purchase insurance and pay the premiums therefor against loss or damage to any of its properties; against liability for injury to persons or property; and against loss of revenue from any cause whatsoever. Such insurance coverage shall be in such form and amount as the commission may determine, subject to the requirements of any agreement arising out of the issuance of bonds by the commission.

    15.11.    (a)    As soon as practical after the closing of the fiscal year an audit shall be made of the financial accounts of the commission. The audit shall be made by qualified certified public accountants selected by the commission, who have no personal interest direct or indirect in the financial affairs of the commission or any of its officers or employees. The report of audit shall be prepared in accordance with accepted accounting practices and shall be filed with the chairman and such other officers as the commission shall direct. Copies of the report shall be distributed to each commissioner and shall be made available for public distribution.

        (b)    Each signatory party by its duly authorized officers shall be entitled to examine and audit at any time all of the books, documents, records, files, and accounts and all other papers, things, or property of the commission. The representatives of the signatory parties shall have access to all books, documents, records, accounts, reports, files, and all other papers, things, or property belonging to or in use by the commission and necessary to facilitate the audit and they shall be afforded full facilities for verifying transactions with the balances or securities held by depositaries, fiscal agents, and custodians.

        (c)    The financial transactions of the commission shall be subject to audit by the General Accounting Office in accordance with the principles and procedures applicable to commercial corporate transactions and under such rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the Comptroller General of the United States. The audit shall be conducted at the place or places where the accounts of the commission are kept.

        (d)    Any officer or employee who shall refuse to give all required assistance and information to the accountants selected by the commission or to the authorized officers of any signatory party or who shall refuse to submit to them for examination such books, documents, records, files, accounts, papers, things, or property as may be requested shall forfeit his office.

    15.12.    The commission shall make and publish an annual report to the legislative bodies of the signatory parties and to the public reporting on its programs, operations, and finances. It may also prepare, publish, and distribute such other public reports and informational materials as it may deem necessary or desirable.

    15.13.    (a)    Any or all of the signatory parties or any political subdivision thereof may:

            1.    Appropriate to the commission such funds as may be necessary to pay preliminary expenses such as the expenses incurred in the making of borings, and other studies of subsurface conditions, in the preparation of contracts for the sale of water and in the preparation of detailed plans and estimates required for the financing of a project;

            2.    Advance to the commission, either as grants or loans, such funds as may be necessary or convenient to finance the operation and management of or construction by the commission of any facility or project;

            3.    Make payments to the commission for benefits received or to be received from the operation of any of the projects or facilities of the commission.

        (b)    Any funds which may be loaned to the commission either by a signatory party or a political subdivision thereof shall be repaid by the commission through the issuance of bonds or out of other income of the commission, such repayment to be made within such period and upon such terms as may be agreed upon between the commission and the signatory party or political subdivision making the loan.

    15.14.    (a)    The commission shall have the power to acquire by condemnation the fee or any lesser interest in lands, lands lying under water, development rights in land, riparian rights, water rights, waters and other real or personal property within the basin for any project or facility authorized pursuant to this compact. This grant of power of eminent domain includes but is not limited to the power to condemn for the purposes of this compact any property already devoted to a public use, by whomsoever owned or held, other than property of a signatory party. Any condemnation of any property or franchises owned or used by a municipal or privately owned public utility, unless the affected public utility facility is to be relocated or replaced, shall be subject to the authority of such state board, commission, or other body as may have regulatory jurisdiction over such public utility.

        (b)    The power of condemnation referred to in subsection (a) shall be exercised in accordance with the provisions of the state condemnation law in force in the signatory state in which the property is located. If there is no applicable state condemnation law, the power of condemnation shall be exercised in accordance with the provisions of federal condemnation law.

        (c)    Any award or compensation for the taking of property pursuant to this article shall be paid by the commission, and none of the signatory parties nor any other agency, instrumentality or political subdivision thereof shall be liable for such award or compensation.

    15.15.    (a)    The respective officers, agencies, departments, commissions, or bodies having jurisdiction and control over real and personal property owned by the signatory parties are authorized and empowered to transfer and convey in accordance with the laws of the respective parties to the commission any such property as may be necessary or convenient to the effectuation of the authorized purposes of the commission.

        (b)    Each political subdivision of each of the signatory parties, notwithstanding any contrary provisions of law, is authorized and empowered to grant and convey to the commission, upon the commission’s request, any real property or any interest therein owned by such political subdivision including lands lying under water and lands already devoted to public use which may be necessary or convenient to the effectuation of the authorized purposes of the commission.

        (c)    Any highway, public utility, or other public facility which will be dislocated by reason of a project deemed necessary by the commission to effectuate the authorized purposes of this compact shall be relocated and the cost thereof shall be paid in accordance with the law of the state in which the facility is located; provided that the cost of such relocation payable by the commission shall not in any event exceed the expenditure required to serve the public convenience and necessity.

    15.16.    Permission is hereby granted to the commission to locate, construct, and maintain any aqueducts, lines, pipes, conduits, and auxiliary facilities authorized to be acquired, constructed, owned, operated, or maintained by the commission in, over, under, or across any streets and highways now or hereafter owned, opened, or dedicated to or for public use, subject to such reasonable conditions as the highway department of the signatory party may require.

    15.17.    Any person, association, or corporation who violates or attempts or conspires to violate any provisions of this compact or any rule, regulation, or order of the commission duly made, promulgated, or issued pursuant to the compact in addition to any other remedy, penalty, or consequence provided by law shall be punishable as may be provided by statute of any of the signatory parties within which the violation is committed; provided that in the absence of such provision any such person, association, or corporation shall be liable to a penalty of not less than $50 nor more than $1,000 for each such violation to be fixed by the court which the commission may recover in its own name in any court of competent jurisdiction, and in a summary proceeding where available under the practice and procedure of such court. For the purposes of this section in the event of a continuing offense each day of such violation, attempt or conspiracy shall constitute a separate offense.

    15.18.    The commission shall be responsible for claims arising out of the negligent acts or omissions of its officers, agents, and employees only to the extent and subject to the procedures prescribed by law generally with respect to officers, agents, and employees of the government of the United States.

    15.19.    Nothing contained in this compact shall be construed as affecting or intending to affect or in any way to interfere with the law of the respective signatory parties relating to riparian rights.

    15.20.    Amendments and supplements to this compact to implement the purposes thereof may be adopted by legislative action of any of the signatory parties concurred in by all of the others.

    15.21.    The provisions of this compact and of agreements thereunder shall be severable and if any phrase, clause, sentence, or provision of the Susquehanna River Basin Compact or such agreement is declared to be unconstitutional or the applicability thereof to any signatory party, agency, or person is held invalid, the constitutionality of the remainder of such compact or such agreement and the applicability thereof to any other signatory party, agency, person, or circumstance shall not be affected thereby. It is the legislative intent that the provisions of such compact be reasonably and liberally construed.

    15.22.    This compact shall become binding and effective thirty days after the enactment of concurring legislation by the federal government, the states of Maryland and New York, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The compact shall be signed and sealed in five identical original copies by the respective chief executives of the signatory parties. One such copy shall be filed with the secretary of state of each of the signatory parties or in accordance with the laws of the state in which the filing is made, and one copy shall be filed and retained in the archives of the commission upon its organization.