To ensure water supplied by a public water system meets requirements, the water system operator must regularly collect samples and:

• A. Test the water at the nearest water testing laboratory
• B. Determine a sampling schedule based on the lab's recommendations
• C. Count the number of active wells in the system
• D. Send all analysis results to the state periodically

Answer: (D)

Regularly collecting samples is only part of what a public water system must do; the essential part is reporting those analysis results to the state on a regular schedule. This ongoing reporting provides regulators with the data needed to verify that water meets safety standards, track compliance, and take action if any results show contaminants outside allowable limits. Simply testing at a lab doesn’t complete the requirement, since there's a formal obligation to submit official results to the regulatory authority. Lab recommendations for sampling timing aren’t the deciding factor for the schedule, which is set by rules and the system’s monitoring plan. Keeping an inventory of active wells is useful, but it doesn’t address water quality or regulatory oversight. Sending all analysis results to the state periodically ensures transparency, accountability, and proper enforcement of drinking water standards.