6.4.2 Water
Copper is widely distributed in water since it is a naturally occurring element. Copper levels in surface
water range from 0.5–1,000 ppb, with a median of 10 ppb; seawater contains <1–5 ppb (Davies and
Bennett 1985; Mart and Nurnberg 1984; Page 1981; Perwak et al. 1980; Yeats 1988). The results of
several studies in which copper was detected in drinking water, groundwater, and surface water are
described in this section and summarized in Table 6-7. The information in Table 6-7 demonstrates that
copper concentrations in drinking water can vary widely (≤5–10,200 ppb) and can exceed the action
limits of 1,300 ppb that have been set for copper in drinking water (EPA 1991). The table also
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emphasizes the importance of running tap water before using it and the need to control corrosion of
piping in water distribution systems.
Copper concentrations in drinking water vary widely as a result of variations in pH, hardness of the water
supply and copper released from the water distribution system (Davies and Bennett 1985; Yannoni and
Piorkowski 1995). Copper concentrations in drinking water range from a few ppb to 10 ppm. A
Canadian national survey of copper and other metals in drinking water was conducted from November
1976 to January 1977 (Meranger et al. 1979). Supplies from 70 municipalities representing 38% of the
Canadian population were included in the survey, including 50 derived from river or lake water and
20 derived from groundwater. Unfiltered raw, treated and distributed drinking waters were analyzed.
Whether the water was derived from river, lake, or well water did not significantly affect the copper
concentration in the raw water. Only in a few supplies did copper levels in raw water exceed 20 ppb and
only one of these was derived from groundwater. The results in groundwater contrast with those of Page
(1981) in New Jersey, in which over 100 wells contained copper levels in excess of 64 ppb. However,
that study included groundwater that was a source of drinking water, in addition to groundwater that was
not. The copper concentration in Canadian treated water was generally ~10 ppb (Meranger et al. 1979).
In 20% of the samples, the copper level in distributed water was significantly higher than the treated
water. The increase was greater in areas where the water was soft and corrosive, thus enhancing leaching
of copper from the distribution system.
Elevated concentrations of copper in drinking water can result as a consequence of leaching processes
that occur in water distribution systems. A study of 1,000 water samples from random households in
Ohio found that ~30% contained copper levels >1 ppm (Strain et al. 1984). The highest copper level in
the study was 18 ppm. In a study of private water wells in four communities in Nova Scotia, Maessen et
al. (1985) found that the concentrations of copper increased in water that remained in the distribution
system overnight, indicating that copper was mobilized from the distribution system. Whereas the level
of copper in running water was generally very low, that in the standing water was variable and exceeded
1.0 ppm in 53% of the homes. Similar results were reported for U.S. cities (Maessen et al. 1985; Schock
and Neff 1988; Strain et al. 1984). In a study in Seattle, Washington, the mean copper concentrations in
running and standing water were 0.16 and 0.45 ppm, respectively, and 24% of the standing water samples
exceeded 1.0 ppm (Maessen et al. 1985). The difference in copper level between standing and flushed
systems became evident at pH 7 and increased with decreasing pH (Strain et al. 1984). Copper levels in
school drinking water were found to differ by 3-fold between first draw and 10-minute flush water
samples, irrespective of the corrosiveness of the water (Murphy 1993). However, the concentration of
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copper in both first draw and 10-minute flush samples decreased by approximately 10-fold as the
corrosiveness of the water decreased. Increasing pH in water distribution lines has been found to result in
an overall decrease in metal concentrations. For example, increasing the pH of water from 7.5 to 8.5 in
distribution lines decreased copper concentration by 50% (Yannoni and Piorkowski 1995).
In homes with copper piping, the mean concentration of copper in tap water has been shown to decline
with the age of the home. In a sampling of tap water of 2,619 households in Berlin, Germany, that are
supplied with municipal drinking water, the mean concentration of copper decreased from 0.77 ppm in
homes with stated ages of 0–<5 years to 0.23 ppm in homes with stated ages of 35–<40 years (Zietz et al.
2003a). In another study of 1,619 homes in Lower Saxony, Germany, the mean concentration of copper
in first draw tap water decreased from 0.37 ppm in homes with stated ages of 0–<5 years to 0.05 ppm in
homes with stated ages of 35–<40 years (Zietz et al. 2003b). These decreases of copper concentration
with age were attributed to a buildup of a surface layer on the piping that reduced corrosion. However, in
these same two studies, it was found that the concentration of copper in tap water began to increase with
increasing age in homes with stated ages of >45 years. This increase in copper concentration was
attributed to the increased probability of repair or partial placement (or unknown total replacement) of
piping in these homes.
In a study of groundwaters and surface waters throughout New Jersey in which >1,000 wells and
600 surface sites were sampled, the median copper levels in groundwater and surface water were 5.0 and
3.0 ppb, respectively (Page 1981). The respective 90th percentile and maximum levels were 64.0 and
2,783.0 ppb for groundwater and 9.0 and 261.0 ppb for surface water. The pattern of contamination in
surface water correlates with light hydrocarbons, while that in groundwater correlates with heavy metals.
This suggests that the sources of contamination of surface water and groundwater are different. The
nature of the sites with elevated levels of copper was not indicated.
The geometric mean (standard deviation) and median concentration of dissolved copper in surface water
based on 53,862 occurrences in EPA's STORET database are 4.2 (2.71) and 4.0 ppb, respectively (Eckel
and Jacob 1988). Higher concentrations tend to be found in New England, the western Gulf and the lower
Colorado River (Perwak et al. 1980). The finding of high concentrations of copper species in minor river
basins reported in EPA's STORET database in 1978 revealed that sources of copper in the Gila, Coeur
D'Alene, and Sacramento River Basins appear to be primarily mining activities, especially abandoned
sites (Perwak et al. 1980). Generally, the high concentrations (>120 µg/L) were generally observed at
localized stations and correlated with low pH of the surface water. However, in another study concerning
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75 Canadian headwater lakes sensitive to acid rain, copper values were relatively low (1–8 ppb range,
2 ppb mean) regardless of pH or alkalinity (Reed and Henningson 1984).
Copper concentrations were measured in surface water obtained from sampling sites in the Spearfish
Creek, Whitewood Creek, and Bear Butte Creek watersheds. These watersheds are affected by water
leaching from tailings and acid-mine drainage from gold mining operations in the Black Hills of South
Dakota. Copper concentrations of <0.24–28 µg/L were measured in surface water, whereas
concentrations in sediments were much higher, ranging from 7.8 to 159 mg/kg (May et al. 2001).
In a survey of sources of copper in storm water, measurements of copper concentrations in storm water
samples were taken from various urban locations in Birmingham, Alabama. Copper concentrations were
generally low in filtered samples (dissolved copper), ranging between 1.4 and 20 µg/L; but were much
higher in unfiltered samples (copper bound to particulate matter) with mean values (in µg/L) of 110 (roof
areas), 116 (parking areas), 280 (street runoff), 135 (vehicle service areas), 81 (landscaped areas),
50 (urban creeks), and 43 (retention ponds) (Pitt et al. 1995).
As a result of improvements in controlling the quality of discharges from municipal and industrial waste
water treatment plants mandated in the Clean Water Act, copper concentrations have been declining in
surface waters. For example, median copper concentrations in the Hudson River estuary have fallen 36–
56% between the mid-1970s and the mid-1990s (Sañudo-Wilhelmy and Gill 1999).
The copper concentration in some bodies of water evidently varies with season. In a study of a small
pond in Massachusetts from April of 1971 to March 1972, the concentration of copper was found to vary,
decreasing during the spring and early summer to lows of <10–30 ppm in early August and then
increasing when the pond was under the cover of ice to a maximum values of 80–105 ppb in late January
and early February (Kimball 1973). Similar seasonal variations were noted in the epilimnion of the
offshore waters of the Great Lakes (Nriagu et al. 1996). In both examples, the cycling in copper
concentrations is thought to be a response to biological need and copper uptake during the growing season
and its subsequent release from seasonal die-off and decay of biota.
Copper concentrations in seawater usually are in the 1–5 ppb range (Perwak et al. 1980). Copper levels
are overall lower in the Pacific Ocean than in the Atlantic Ocean and higher near the continental shelf
than in the open ocean. Copper concentrations in surface water at a depth of 1 meter transected on a
cruise from Nova Scotia to the Sargasso sea ranged from 57.2 to 210 parts per trillion (ppt) (Yeats 1988).
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The mean value in surface water sampled at a depth of 1 meter of the eastern Arctic Ocean was 93 ppt
(Mart and Nurnberg 1984). As noted in a revie
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