Evening star., 1939-03-07
Commission Created
To Control Potomac
Basin Pollution
a Stotes and District
Pledge Cooperation to
Improve Conditions

The problem Of pollution control
Of the Potomac River and its tribu-
tarieS was nearer solution today
with the creation by representatives
of four States and the District of
Columbia of the Interstate Com
mission on the Potomac River Basin.
Designed to control pollution and
promote health and conservation
activity, the interstate compact, ap-
proved yesterday by special Inter-
state Committee of the Potomac
Valley Pollution Conference, pro-
vides for the appointment within
30 days Of three commissioners each
by the District, Maryland, Virginia,
West Virginia. Pennsylvania and
the President of the United States.
The commission will conduct in
vestigations and analyses of all sew
age, industrial and domestic wastes
and sources Of pollution in streams
within the Potomac Basin for the
purpose Of promoting laws for the
abatement and control OF pollution.
No Authority Delegated.
No authority for enforcement of
recommendations was delegated to
the commission In the interstate
agreement, but the body will CO.
operate with similar legislative and
administrative agencies in each of
the signatory States.
Although the actual effectiveness
as an interstate commission will not
come until ratification has been
made by the Legislatures of each
State concerned, and by Congress
for the District, the control group
is expected to begin its activity in
making studies and cooperating
with State agencies as soon as pos
sible.
Operation of the Interstate Com
mission on the Delaware Basin,
where a similar condition prevailed,
was described yesterday by Hubert
r. Gallagher, assistant director of
the Council of State Governments,
which sponsored the committee
meeting at the Chamber of Com
merce Building.
An administrative budget, calling
for pro rata distribution of costs,
presented an estimated requirement
of $4,000 yearly. The budget cov-
cred the estimated cost of Office sup
plies and travel expenses in addition
to salaries of 5000 for the secretary
chief engineer, $500 for a drafts
man and $1,000 for a stenographer.
ALLEGATION, of contributions, esti-
mated on populations and on areas
affected within the basin, would
result in the furnishing of yearly
sums Of $500 by the District, $1,000
by Maryland, $2,40O by Virginia
81, 800 by West Virginia and $1,000
by Pennsylvania.
Those at Conference.
Those who took leading parts in
the meeting yesterday included
Frank Bane, executive director of
the Council Of State Governments,
who presided; I. M. Glace, water
consultant of the National Re-
sources Committee; William c.
Walsh, attorney general of Mary
land; Thomas Conlon, Speaker OF
the Maryland House of Delegates;
DR.. R. H. Riley, chairman of the
Potomac Valley Pollution Confer
ence; Oliver Gasch, assistant cor
poration counsel of the District: r.
E. Tarbett, chief engineer of the
United States Public Health Service
and G. F. Browning, sanitary engi-
neer OF the District Health Depart
ment.
The compact approved yesterday
was drafted under the authority OF
q congressional resolution and now
will be recommended for adoption
to the Governors Of the sisuatory
States and to Cousress,