Some residents have elevated levels of copper in their drinking water, causing aesthetic concerns like blue water, blue hair, fixture staining and occasional health concerns. By focusing sampling efforts on older homes at greatest risk for elevated lead, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) does not sample new homes at highest risk for elevated copper. Moreover, residents with private wells have never been regulated under the LCR. Consequently, residents with copper above the 1 mg/L EPA Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level are in need of new approaches to address problems with elevated copper in drinking water. We examined how water quality criteria and citizen science can help residents address copper corrosion concerns. First, a decision-making framework was developed utilizing water quality criteria (pH, alkalinity and orthophosphate) to classify waters as “low cuprosolvency.” Consumers with these waters can wait, with some confidence that their elevated copper will naturally decrease with time, as pipes age and develop lower solubility scale layers over a period of weeks to months. Inputs to this framework can potentially be derived from low cost at home test kits, that empower consumers to diagnose their problems and consider possible solutions. If a water does not meet criteria for low cuprosolvency, interventions including corrosion control (raising pH) or using filters (i.e., removing copper at point of use) may be needed to reduce elevated copper. “Low cuprosolvency” water quality criteria were identified using linear regressions (R2 &gt; 0.98) with threshold “minimum” pHs as a function of alkalinity. Laboratory and citizen science testing of inexpensive at-home test kits for copper and pH demonstrated their accuracy, with good correlations observed between field and laboratory testing (R2 &gt; 0.8 for copper and liquid-based pH tests). Finally, citizen science field testing and companion laboratory studies supported a new framework to guide decision-making addressing copper corrosion concerns.

Consumer guidance to address elevated levels of copper in potable water

Fall 2022 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch in mid-September.

ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.