What type of connections should be represented in the sampling process?

In the context of water quality sampling, it is vital to represent active service connections. Active service connections are those that are currently in use and actively supplying water to customers. This is important because the water quality at these locations will directly reflect the condition of the water that is being delivered to consumers. Sampling from active connections helps ensure that the results obtained are representative of the water quality that customers actually experience.

Inactive service connections typically do not provide relevant data, as they do not supply water to users. Randomly selected connections could be beneficial for achieving a representative sample, but if those selections include inactive or disconnected services, they may not yield useful information. Connections from different municipalities could introduce variability that may not pertain to the specific water system being tested, making them less relevant for assessing the quality of the water being delivered to actual consumers in a given area.

Focusing on active service connections ensures that sampling efforts accurately reflect current conditions, providing reliable data for monitoring and regulatory purposes.