The Stage 1 Disinfectants/Disinfection Byproduct (D/DBP) Rule continuesthe previous monitoring frequency and location requirements for DBPs and institutes compliance monitoring for five haloacetic acids (HAA5s). This rule allows some flexibility in selecting sampling locations. Selecting HAA5 monitoring locations based upon relative distance from the treatment facility in complex systems such as the system surveyed in north Vermont (16 storage tanks and12 major pressure zones in a 70 square mile area) may mask situations that cause highly variable HAA5results. Implementing treatment process or system operational changes without understanding the existence and cause of highly variable HAA5 results may affect compliance strategies. In this study, HAA5 data, storage tank level trends, and other operational records were used to identify and understand the operational conditions causing significant HAA5 variation at individual sampling locations. Includes 8 references, table, figures.