Two major water sources supply the Commission system: the Patuxent River through the Patuxent Filtration Plant, and the Potomac River through the Potomac River Filtration Plant. The Commission also stores about 12 billion gallons of raw water at Rocky Gorge Reservoir in Prince George's and Montgomery counties, and at Triadelphia Lake in Montgomery County. Little Seneca Lake in Montgomery County and the Jennings Randolph Reservoir in West Virginia provide storage for an additional 17 billion gallons of water.
Much of the sewage from the Commission service area is carried by trunk sewers into the District of Columbia and treated at the regional Blue Plains Pollution Control Plant in Washington, DC. Other sewage disposal plants operated by the Commission are in northern Montgomery County at Seneca Creek; and in Prince George's County at Piscataway Bay (Accokeek), Upper Marlboro (Western Branch), and near Laurel (Parkway Waste Water Treatment Plant). The Commission also runs several smaller waste water plants.
The Commission has six members: three from Montgomery County; three from Prince George's County. Each county's members are named to four-year terms by the County Executive with County Council consent. The Commission's annual budget is subject to joint approval by the governing bodies of the two counties (Code 1957, Art. 29, secs. 1-101 through 19-101).
ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Organized in July 1993, the Environmental Advisory Committee advises the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission on local community and environmental issues associated with proposed projects. The Committee consists of twenty-four members (twelve from Montgomery County, twelve from Prince George's County) appointed by the Commission.
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