Md. Code, Environment § 5-401

This is the official text of Md. Code, Environment § 5-401, part of Maryland’s Code, Environment — governs environmental protection.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

§5–401.

Official statutory text

(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated.

(b) “Authority” means Maryland Potomac Water Authority.

(c) “Federal government” means:

(1) The United States of America; or

(2) Any governmental agency of the United States of America.

(d) “Initial cost” means the portion of water supply costs of the project which nonfederal entities must contract to repay prior to construction of the project. Actual payment of initial cost may be extended over a 50-year period beginning when augmented flow first is available from the project.

(e) “Non-Maryland user” means a user not assessable by a represented county.

(f) “Potomac River” means the main stem and North Branch of the Potomac River and its tributaries in those reaches below the augmented average flow surface level of the main stem and North Branch.

(g) “Project” means a federally constructed dam, reservoir, and appurtenances on the North Branch of the Potomac River, commonly referred to as the Bloomington Dam project.

(h) “Represented county” means any county enumerated in this subtitle as being within the district.

(i) “The district”, unless otherwise indicated in the text to mean the District of Columbia, means the area of jurisdiction of the Authority, which includes the following counties: Allegany, Frederick, Garrett, Montgomery, Prince George’s, and Washington.

(j) “User” means any person who uses water from the Potomac River for any purpose without regard to whether or not the water is consumed, altered, or replaced.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

Need a lawyer in Maryland?

Find a Maryland lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.