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Administrative History

Chapter 723 of the Laws of 1905 empowered the governor to appoint five citizens, subject to senate approval, who would constitute a commission to be known as the State Water Supply Commission. Under the provisions of this statute "no municipal corporation or other civil division of the state, and no board, commission or other body of or for any such municipal corporation or other civil subdivision of the state" would be allowed to acquire, take, or condemn lands for any additional sources of water supply until it first submitted maps, profiles, and designs for review and approval by the commission.

Prior to 1905, a municipal corporation or other civil division of the State was empowered to acquire or condemn lands for sources of municipal water supply without regard to whether the plans for its requirements were equitable to other municipalities and people whose land was directly affected by the acquisition. The main purpose of the law and the subsequent gathering of statistics were to establish and administer a systematic plan for acquiring and maintaining water supplies for the State's municipalities. Until then, there was little public supervision of existing water supplies, no provision or planning for future water and sewage needs and no systematic analysis of water purity. Expanding population growth necessitated municipal control of domestic water supplies and sewage disposal statewide. Outside of large centers of population, there was little control of sewage disposal coupled with an increasing awareness of the correlation between water purity and diseases e.g. Typhoid.

The commission's powers were increased in 1907 with the passage of Chapter 569, which directed it to conduct surveys, and devise plans for the progressive development of the State's water for public use and benefit. The commission operated until Chapter 647 of the Laws of 1911 transferred its powers and duties to the newly created Conservation Commission.