The General Assembly declares that the Patuxent River and the Severn River are a great natural asset and resource to the State and the counties through which they run. As a result of poorly treated effluent discharged from sewage disposal plants and erosion and silt deposited in the rivers from construction and development on land in the Watershed, the Patuxent River and Severn River are being polluted and despoiled to a degree that fish, marine life, and recreational use of the rivers are being adversely affected and curtailed.