(3) The Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission is authorized to issue its bonds in an amount not exceeding $250,000 in such denominations and for such terms, not exceeding forty years, and at such rate, not exceeding four per cent (4%), as it may determine, such bonds shall be issued on the full faith and credit of the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission and guaranteed as to both principal and interest by the County Commissioners of Prince Georges County only; the County Commissioners of Prince Georges County are hereby authorized and directed to guarantee said bonds in substantially the manner and form of the guarantee of the construction bonds of said Commission. Such guarantee shall operate as a pledge of the full faith and credit of the County Commissioners of Prince Georges County to the payment of the maturing principal and interest of said bonds and, to the extent that the taxes hereinafter in this sub-section provided for are inadequate to provide the funds necessary to pay such principal and interest in any year, said County Commissioners shall levy upon all property subject to taxation within its corporate limits ad valorem taxes in rate and amount sufficient to make up any such deficiency. For the purpose of paying the principal of said bonds as they mature and the interest thereon the County Commissioners of Prince Georges County are directed to levy annually upon all of the property assessed for county tax purposes within the portion of the Maryland-Washington Metropolitan District in Prince Georges County, upon the certification of the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission, an ad valorem tax at a rate necessary to produce annually the sum required to pay the principal and interest for the current year on said bonds or any part thereof outstanding, which tax shall be levied and collected as other Commission ad valorem taxes are levied and collected and paid to said Commission.

(c) The State Roads Commission is authorized and directed to pay out of its general funds such sums as are required to pay for the cost of building and relocating complete all state highways and bridges within the limits of such flood control and navigation projects in the Anacostia River basin in Maryland as may be approved by the Federal Government, provided, however, that said total amount shall not be in excess of $1,500,000.

(d) The proceeds from all bond issues hereinbefore authorized to be issued under this Act shall be turned over to the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, with which proceeds it shall establish a separate fund to be designated as the "Flood Control and Navigation Fund", from which fund all costs of said flood control and navigation projects, other than costs to be borne by the Federal Government and the State Roads Commission shall be paid. The proceeds from the bonds authorized to be issued by this Act shall be applied toward the cost of constructing and relocating all county highways and bridges complete, the construction of recreational and commercial boat basins and the construction of necessary internal drainage facilities, the relocation of utility structures and for the acquisition of land and buildings which it is necessary to acquire for the flood control and navigation projects.

(e) The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission is hereby designated as the organization responsible for the administration, maintenance, and operation of said flood control and navigation projects. It shall fix the charges for the use of commercial navigation facilities, the proceeds of which shall be applied toward maintenance and operation costs. The County Commissioners of Prince Georges County are directed to levy annually upon all of the property assessed for county tax purposes within the portion of said Sanitary District in Prince Georges County upon the certification of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, an ad valorem tax at a rate necessary to produce annually the sum required to pay the balance of the annual maintenance and operation costs of said flood control and navigation projects. Should there be a surplus from the charges for the use of said facilities after maintenance and operation costs have been paid, the surplus shall be returned to the County Commissioners of Prince Georges County, The Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission and the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission in proportion to the capital costs contributed by each agency. Said surplus shall be applied toward payment of the principal and interest of said outstanding bonds.

(f) The Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission shall have the right to use the lands acquired for said flood control and navigation projects for park purposes so long as such use does not interfere with the construction, maintenance, and operation of said flood control and navigation projects, and shall control and operate recreational facilities within said projects. SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission shall not approve any plan, nor enter into any contract or agree

ment which is inconsistent with the purposes of the Capper-Cramton Act, Public Law No. 284, 71st Congress, as amended, or is inconsistent with any agreement between The National Capital Park and Planning Commission and The Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission related to the park and parkway system, authorized by said Act.

All bonds authorized to be issued under this Act shall be so issued in accordance with the provisions of Sections 35 and 36 of Article 31, Code of Public General Laws of Maryland (1939 ed.), except that limitations on the maximum maturities of public securities of said Article 31 shall be inapplicable to the bonds authorized to be issued under this Act. All the bonds authorized to be issued under this Act and the interest payable thereon in the hands of person or persons entitled thereto from time to time shall be and remain forever exempt from taxation of any kind or nature whatsoever by the State of Maryland or by any county, municipality, or other political subdivision thereof.

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission may accept contributions from the Government of the United States or any of its agencies, the District of Columbia, the State of Maryland or any of its agencies, Prince Georges County, Montgomery County, any municipality, special taxing area, corporation, partnership or any other person which, in the opinion of the Commission, may be advantageous in the construction of any project under this Act.

SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That if any word, phrase, clause, sentence, or other part or parts of this Act shall be held unconstitutional such unconstitutionality shall not affect the validity of the remaining parts of this Act or of all other sections thereof.

SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That all Acts or parts of Acts or laws and parts of laws inconsistent herewith or contrary thereto be and the same are hereby repealed to the extent of such inconsistency.

SEC. 6. And be it further enacted, That Chapter 362 of the Acts of 1947 be and the same is hereby repealed.

SEC. 7. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take effect June 1, 1949. Mr. DUCKETT. I will not further take the time of the committee now but wish the record to show my endorsement of this project. Mr. DAVIS. Thank you, sir.

Mr. SASSCER. Our next witness is Mr. Dwight B. Galt, chairman, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission.

STATEMENT OF DWIGHT B. GALT, CHAIRMAN, WASHINGTON SUBURBAN SANITARY COMMISSION

Mr. GALT. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, we have, through the last session of the legislature, had passed all of the legislation necessary for the local agencies, including my commission, to carry forth their part of this program. That we are keenly interested in it goes without saying. This is a matter we have been working on for many years, and we feel now that with your aid this matter will come into fruition.

We are authorized to contribute our share under the legislation just passed and we are ready to go ahead with it.

Thank you, sir.

Mr. DAVIS. Does that authority permit the sharing of 2 millions of dollars-$1,750,000, is that correct? I notice that Mr. Sasscer said $1,500,000, and $250,000.

Mr. GALT. The contribution from the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission is $500,000; from the county government, I think approximately $1,500,000.

The Park and Planning Commission, $250,000, I think.

Mr. DAVIS. For a total of $3,396,100 from all your sources.

Mr. GALT. It totals the amount the local agencies are called upon to contribute to match that of the Federal Government.

Mr. DAVIS. Are there any questions on this side, gentlemen?
Thank you, sir.

Mr. SASSCER. Mr. Harry B. Shaw, deputy chief engineer, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission.

STATEMENT OF HARRY B. SHAW, DEPUTY CHIEF ENGINEER, WASHINGTON SUBURBAN SANITARY COMMISSION

Mr. SHAW. Mr. Chairman, I can only say as deputy chief engineer of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission that we have examined the plans of the Government engineers very thoroughly. We think they are adequate to do the job and we are in favor of it.

As far as the sanitary commission is concerned, this project will relieve periodic flooding of our sewers. It will enable us to determine permanently the location for a sewage pumping station which it is necessary for us to build in order to relieve a source of pollution into the Anacostia River at Bladensburg.

That about concludes all the remarks that I have to make except that I think we would next like to hear from Mr. Harry W. McNamee, president, board of county commissioners, Prince Georges County. Mr. DAVIS. Are there any questions?

Mr. McNamee, come around, sir.

STATEMENT OF HARRY W. McNAMEE, PRESIDENT, BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY

Mr. MCNAMEE. Mr. Chairman, I might say that I am president of the board of county commissioners of Prince Georges County and we have authority to sell the bonds needed for our part in this work and we are ready and willing and able to do that. We are heartily in favor of the project.

Mr. DAVIS. Thank you, sir.

Now, I notice that you are making a very substantial contribution, $4,531,200 on the part of the Federal Government matched by $3,396,100 by the local interests. That is getting pretty close together. Who is the next witness, please?

Mr. DUCKETT. Mr. Fred W. Tuemmler, director of planning, Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission, who I understand can speak for that commission. They are one of the interested agencies.

Mr. DAVIS. Come around, sir.

STATEMENT OF FRED W. TUEMMLER, DIRECTOR OF PLANNING, MARYLAND NATIONAL CAPITAL PARK AND PLANNING COMMISSION

Mr. TUEMMLER. Mr. Chairman, I do not have a prepared statement. Mr. DAVIS. We will hear you orally, then.

Mr. TUEMMLER. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, Mr. Irwin Main, chairman of the commission, asked me to appear in his behalf today since he was unable to come.

The commission endorses this project heartily. In a letter dated January 20, 1948, to the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, the information regarding the passage of the resolution to that effect

was sent.

The park and planning commission is authorized under the legislation referred to to sell bonds to the extent of $250,000 for its portion of the project. The park and planning commission has acquired almost all of the land required for this project, about 481 acres, in the lower portion of the Anacostia Valley, and nearly 300 acres in the northern portion. It will be in that Anacostia River Park that the project will be located; and almost all of the levee construction will be within land presently owned by the commission.

Mr. DONDERO. I wanted to observe that the brevity of speeches made in behalf of this project certainly ought to assure its favorable consideration.

Mr. DAVIS. They are most considerate of the committee and are building a good record at the same time.

Mr. SASSCER. Mr. Chairman, I would like to present at this time Mr. Washington I. Cleveland, manager, District of Columbia division, American Automobile Association.

The American Automobile Association and, I think, one other automobile association have been interested in this project for some time, and Mr. Cleveland has some information I think will be helpful to the committee.

STATEMENT OF WASHINGTON I. CLEVELAND, MANAGER, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DIVISION, AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION

Mr. CLEVELAND. Mr. Chairman, I have brought with me some very interesting pictures I believe the committee will be interested in seeing. These pictures were taken of some of the more disastrous floods that have occurred in this neighborhood during the past 20 years. Perhaps I could pass them around. They will show you that in the past 20 years we have had some major floods.

A glance at this map reveals the importance, from the viewpoint of traffic, of the Bladensburg Peace Cross area where United States Route 1 converges with United States Route 50. United States Route 1, the Washington-Baltimore Boulevard, is the main north-south arterial thoroughfare along the eastern seaboard which carries one of the heaviest traffic loads of any highway in the country. United States Route 50 is the Defense Highway connecting Washington, D. C., with Annapolis, Md., and is also a heavily traveled highway.

The flood conditions at the Bladensburg area have been occurring periodically since the early days of our Republic. To indicate the interest of the American Automobile Association in this project, especially the interest of the District of Columbia division of the AAA, reference to a few of the more disastrous floods which have occurred at this point in recent years will be revealing. Incidentally, these floods are caused not only by high water from excessive rainfall in the Anacostia watershed but by water backing up from the Potomac River either due to flood conditions in the Potomac River watershed or high tides resulting from heavy winds backing the water up in the Chesapeake Bay and up the Potomac River and in turn up the Ana

costia River to Bladensburg, Md. As many of you know, the land at the Bladensburg Peace Cross is only 5 to 8 feet above sea level and the tides flow all the way up the Anacostia to Bladensburg.

I have found a record of 12 floods in the Bladensburg area in the past 20 years. There may have been more.

The flood of August 12, 1928, was caused by a heavy rain over the Anacostia River Basin and high tides in the Potomac River due to a tropical storm which produced damages all the way up the coast from Florida. The Washington-Baltimore Boulevard was flooded to a depth of 4 feet at Bladensburg.

The flood of August 23, 1933, was the outstanding flood of record. It was the result of an extreme high tide in the Potomac River in addition to a record flow in the Anacostia River. Floodwaters reached the ceiling of the Dixie Pig Barbecue, the building closest to the Feace Cross at that time, and two men were drowned in the floodwaters of the area.

The flood of March 19, 1936, was caused entirely by backwater from the Potomac flood. Water was 4 feet deep over the Bladensburg Road at the Peace Cross.

There was a minor flood on January 21, 1937, due to heavy rainfall in the area, and the water rose 2 feet over the Bladensburg Road.

The flood of April 26 and 27, 1937, was largely due to backwater from the Potomac River flood. Boats were required to rescue over 300 marooned persons from flooded homes throughout the area.

A flood on October 23, 1937, resulted from an excessive rain over the watershed. Water reached a depth of more than 4 feet at Bladensburg, and it was reported that floodwaters covered nearly a mile of the Washington-Baltimore Boulevard.

Heavy rains occurred again on October 28 and 29, 1937, which produced reported depths of 4 feet of water at Bladensburg.

On November 13, 1937, another flood occurred and the Washington Evening Star published photographs of the half-submerged automobiles at the Feace Cross.

The flood of August 9 and 10, 1942, was caused by extremely heavy rain over the Anacostia River Basin. Water reached a depth of 5 feet around the Peace Cross. The Defense Highway was completely blocked. An Army convoy headed for parts unknown could not get through and was forced to turn back toward Washington.

There was another flood on October 16 and 17, 1942, caused by high water in the Potomac River combined with a large run-off from the Anacostia watershed. Cars were stalled along Bladensburg Road. Another flood occurred on July 27, 1945, tying up bus and auto traffic on Rhode Island Avenue between Mount Rainier and Hyattsville, and drowning out traffic in the area of the Peace Cross in Bladensburg.

On July 31, 1945, the water rose again due to sudden heavy showers. The Washington Daily News on August 1 printed photographs of "Flooded-as-Usual Peace Cross."

Descriptions of flood conditions at Bladensburg and its environs were made available to me from reports compiled in the Engineering Division of the Washington District Office of the Corps of Engineers. The present membership of the District of Columbia division of the American Automobile Association is 51,000. Some of these members

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