Evening star., 1945-08-12
Potomac Basin
Pollution Survey
Put on Program
Interstate Group
Closes Planning
Session at Hershey
BY JAMES BIRCHFIELD,
Star Staff CORRESPONDENT.

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terstate Commission on the Potomac
River Basin, ending its two-day ses.
sion at the Hotel Hershey here to-
day, voted to request the United
States Public Health Service II
make special survey of pollution ir
the Potomac basin and called or
its State members to provide data
to be used in planning long-range
basin development along lines sim.
liar to the Tennessee Valley.
In requesting the Public Health
Service survey, the commission
pointed out that this will be dont
in cooperation with local and State
agencies. Congress will be requested
to provide funds for the study.
Maryland State Senator L. Harold
Sothoron, Brentwood, commission
chairman, explained that the COM
mission, in effect, is saying that
there are two ways of providing for
future development of the Potomac
the Valley Authority, more OF
less autocratic method, and the
compact or State cooperative
method.
I'VE are saying" he asserted
that the compact method is the
better of the two in that it preserves
the rights of the Safes and provides
for a more direct voice of the
people in the development of their
area"
Federal Funds to Be Asked.
Senator Sothoron said that as
data from the States is received and
plans for basin development take
shape, the commission then will seek
authority from State legislatures
and funds from its member States
and the Federal Government.
The commission will feel per-
fectly justified in asking Federal
funds for basin development" Sena-
tor Sothoron said. IF the Federal
Government now can develop wide
areas of the country under Federal
projects, there is no reason why it
should not assist States in similar
programs.
The commission also adopted rec
ommendations by Edwin A. Schmitt
OF the Office of Army Engineers,
chairman of the commissions Tech
meal Advisory Committee, that the
body enter actively in Federal, State
and local issues bearing on the Po-
tomac basin; that it ask for in
creased funds for additional per-
sonrael to carry out it's program, and
that a positive promotional and
educational program be initiated in
behalf of pollution abatement.
MIR. Schmitt said the commission
should take definite stand with
respect to national, State and local
legislation on issues which will fur
ther its particular interests" He
added that ito do less will weaken
its prestige and reduce its effec-
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Water Purity Objective.
AS its first step toward basin de-
velopment, the commission adopted
tentatively four classes of water
criteria for the watershed. When
State approval is given, these cri-
terra will establish measures of
water purity to be achieved in the
various sections along the river.
1t was pointed out that already,
through cooperative action between
various State authorities, steps are
now under way to clean up many
badly polluted areas, and when these
criteria are established it will pro-
vide definite standards to be met.
Undoubtedly, it was explained,
pollution control in some areas will
lead to flood and water flow con-
troll, and this in turn will lead
to erosion control and possibly to
hydro electric development.
1t is the commissions desire, it
was added, to be ready with plans
for the normal development of the
area and to provide for this de-
velopment through the authority of
the States themselves.
The commission said that in fos-
tering its program, a film library
will be established as a means of
visual education and that meetings
will be- sponsored throughout the
area to inform the people what they
may expect to achieve through the
development of the basin.