Under US EPA Safe Drinking Water Act regulations, what is the basis for the number of monthly samples you must collect for BAC-T test?

• A. Population served
• B. Water temperature
• C. System size
• D. Distance to source

Answer: (A)

The number of monthly samples for BAC-T testing is determined by how many people the water system serves. EPA regulations scale sampling requirements to the population served, so larger communities require more monthly samples to adequately monitor for bacterial presence. Temperature, how far the source is, or the system’s size as a general concept don’t set the sampling count in these rules—the population served does. This ensures the monitoring effort reflects the potential impact on the number of people relying on the system.