Evening star., 1954-02-14
Laws 10 Regulate
Wafer Firms Offered
Byvirqinia Delegates
By o stufF Correspondent, Of The .s.u,

BY q Siuff Correspondent Of The Sfus
RICHMOND. Feb. 13.-The
House of Delegates, holding it's
first Saturday session to break a
log jam of bills, today received
new legislation designed to reg
ulate privately owned water
companies and also to establish
a State policy on water as nat
ural resource.
Delegate J. Maynard Magruder
of Arlington, helped co-sponsor
the legislation which may lead
to a long-range policy to gov
ern the conservation and proper
use of the States water re-
sources.
DeJarnette Bill.
The regulation Of private wa
ter companies, a source of fire.
Quent complaints in Fairfax
County, was proposed in legis-
lation bearing the name of House
Floor Leader Edmund T. DeJar-
nette, who Is member of the
Virginia Advisory Legislative
Council which studied the prob
lem.
Chief complaint involving the
water companies stems from the
fact that more than 100 are not
subjected to regulation of rates
and service performed by the
State Corporation Commission.
Subscribers of private utilities
would be allowed to petition the
sec if they feel service is made
quate, under the new legislation.
At present, the State Board of
Health is the only State agency
concerned with companies Serv-
ing more than 25 persons-and
that boards primary concern is
the purity of the water.
Facilities for Subdivisions.
Under legislation incorporated
in six bills introduced today
counties would be authorized to
specify by regulation or ordi-
nance water and sewage facilities
which should be permitted in
new subdivisions.
The legislation proposes to
give the county governing bodies
more control, rather than the
sec, because of the additional
expense and personnel that
would be involved on a State
level.
The matter of determining the
States future policy on water
as a natural resource-that is.
the various streams, rivers and
bays-would be left to the VALC
for further study and report to
the 1856 General Assembly.
Investigation was instituted by
former Gov. Battle.
The investigation included spe-
cif1c cases involving the con-
struction of a dam across the
Rapidan River by the town Of
Orange and the effect that had
on certain riparian landowners
downstream. In another case.
the problems involved using
water for irrigation from the
Thornton River in Rappahan-
mock County, were analyzed. Ir-
rigation also created problems in
Culpeper County when a farmer
at Brandy pumped water from
Jonah's Run.
New Water Code.
The VALC recommended that
It be authorized to continue its
study of water resources "for
establishment in due course of
q comprehensive water code for
the State. designed to facilitate
present and future economic
development"
An overall study of juvenile de-
linquency and it's related causes
and corrective measures will be
proposed by Delegate Stone of
Arlington to the General Assem-
bly, when it reconvenes Monday.
At the same time, Mrs. Stone
disclosed she is drafting legis-
lation for later in the week to
create a mobile diagnostic and
treatment clinic which would
deal with physical and mental
ailments of children committed
to establishments maintained by
the Department of Welfare and
Institutions.
She sees both pieces of legis-
lation tying in with another
measure introduced yesterday
appropriating 100000 for State
aid to localities in setting up
regional detention facilities for
children.