Stormwater Program

811 SW 6 th Avenue Portland, OR 97204

Phone: (503) 229

- 5696 (800) 452

- 4011

Fax: (503) 229

- 5850

Contact: Erich Brandstetter www.oregon.gov/DEQ

Eastern Region

475 NE Bellevue

Suite 110 Bend, OR 97701

Phone: ( 541 ) 388

- 6146 (866) 863

- 6668

Fax: ( 541 ) 388

- 8283

Contact: Krista Ratliff www.oregon.gov/DEQ

Northwest Region
2020 SW 4th Avenue,

Suite 400 Portland, OR 97201

Phone: ( 503 ) 229

- 5263

Fax: ( 503 ) 229

- 6945

Contact: Jennifer Weaver www.oregon.gov/DEQ

Western Region

165 E. 7 th Avenue,

Suite 1 00 Eugene, OR 97 4 01

Phone: (541)686

- 7838 (800)844

- 8467

Fax: (541)686

- 7551

Contact: Mark Riedel www.oregon.gov/DEQ

City of Portland

Bureau of Environmental

Services

6543 N. Burlington Ave. Portland, OR 97203

- 5452 Phone: (503) 823

- 5320

Contact: Michael Pronold

Clean Water Services

2550 SW Hillsboro Highway Hillsboro, OR 97123 Phone: (503) 681

- 5129

Contact: Clayton Brown

City of Eugene

410 River Avenue Eugene, OR 97404

Pho ne: (541) 682

- 8616

Contact: Jonathan Wilson 

# Reducing Copper in Industrial
Stormwater

Background DEQ administers stormwater permits that set conditions for how Oregon businesses must manage stormwater and surface runoff in order to reduce pollution and protect the environment. These permits are officially called National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System

Industrial Stormwater General Permits No. 1200- COLS and 1200-Z. These permits regulate the discharge of stormwater to surface waters from certain categories (types) of industries by establishing benchmarks, goals and identifying best practices t o better protect Oregon’s waters.

This document provides guidance for businesses evaluating copper in their stormwater discharge

. DEQ does not endorse a specific form of pollution control or treatment. Oregon businesses can choose the option that works best to meet the conditions of the stormwater permit.

Too much copper is harmful Copper from stormwater runoff is harmful to fish and other aquatic life, especially salmon

. In freshwater, this concentration can be as low as 0.18 μg/L for salmon. Altered behav iors from exposure to copper include disruption of their sensory system, predator avoidance, and migration.

The copper benchmark of a concentration less than

0. 020 mg/L is considered protective to our marine and freshwater aquatic life . ( Photo courtesy msn.com) Sources of copper in stormwater discharge from industrial facilities The most common sources of copper found at industrial facilities include the following:

 Vehicle brake pads

 Architectural copper

 Copper-containing pesticides

 Mar ine antifouling coatings

 Vehicle servicing and cleaning

Other less common and often overlooked sources of copper include:

 Various roofing materials

 Air emissions (gas and diesel combustion)

 Soil erosion

 Wood preservatives

 Domestic water that discharges t o

stormwater

 Highway stormwater runoff

How to reduce copper in stormwater discharge There are several options for reducing copper in an industrial facility’s stormwater discharge

. These include:

 Use BMPs (best management practices),including source control (i.e., eliminating or reducing the sources of copper)

 Treatment of stormwater (treating and removing copper in stormwater runoff)

 LIDs (low impact developments)

Based on the most common sources of copper, generally the two most effective methods are:

 Prevent copper containing material from entering your facility

 Source control BMPs (i.e., eliminate the source of copper before it comes into contact with precipitation or stormwater runoff)

Educating employees to avoid purchasing materials that contain copper or to seek alternatives may help reduce the copper containing materials that come onto a facility. This may be a difficult task as most facilities have a variety of contractors that drive onto or through their site or copper containing materials 

# Fact SheetLast updated: 12/16/14 By: Mark Riede l were utilized in the construction of the infrastructure at a facility. These factors may

make source control BMPs the more viable method of these two options for reducing copper in your stormwater discharge.

Once copper comes into contact with precipitation and mixes with stormwater runoff a facility will need to determine the best way to treat the runoff. Selecting a treatment method or BMP to reduce copper levels in stormwater can be difficult and costly. When determining how to reduce copper in stormwater it is important to:

 Assess the sources of copper

 Collect good samples and follow protocols to maintain quality data (f rom both the source and the entire site)

 Evaluate the current site conditions and BMPs already in pl ace to determine if improvements can be made

Each business is unique and there is no single solution to eliminating copper in a facility ’s stormwater discharge. I t may be advisable to hire a consultant or qualified professional who ha s knowledge of the available treatment systems

and their effectiveness.

How to reduce copper in stormwater

runoff from dust and debris: Copper is utilized in the manufacturing of brake pads. Dust generated from frictional wearing of the brake pad can be deposited throughout your site. Removal of this dust and debris may help lower the copper in the stormwater discharge.

Brake pad dust can be a source of copper in stormwater runoff. (Photo courtesy of hybridcars.com)

Source Control BMPs: Sweep parking areas, loading docks, and other paved surfaces to minimize the amount of copper from brake pads entering stormwater runoff. Sweeping removes large and small particles and with them, motor oil, hydraulic fluid, and tire dust. Sweeping may also remove other pollutants that are deposited on the on paved. Other BMPs: Develop a sweeping maintenance and housekeeping program. Vacuum-assisted dry sweepers are very effective at removing solids and fine dust that contains copper.

Treatment: Install a catch basin treatment system to remove fine dust that may contain copper. Vendors offer filtration and cartridge systems that are designed specifically to target the removal of copper from stormwater discharge.

LIDs: Reroute stormwater runoff from paved (high traffic) areas and loading docks to an area on the property where the stormwater can filter through a vegetated surface and/or into a stormwater biofiltration swale that encourages the infiltration of stormwater into the ground. Stormwater bioswales, rain gardens, infiltration, and detention basins are a few examples of LIDs that may reduce copper concentrations in a

facilit y’ s stormwater discharge.

How to reduce copper from marine antifouling coatings in stormwater

runoff:

Business with SIC codes of 3731 and 3732

, Sector R of the industrial stormwater permits (i.e., ship and boat building and repair yards) may have unique sources of copper that are not

common at most industrial sites. These sources of copper in stormwater discharge include:

 Copper debris generated during vessel washing (Note: Pressure washing used to remove marine growth from vessels must be permitted as a process wastewater by a separate NPDES water quality permit)

 Copper debris generated during vessel blasting and painting area. Paint chips, abrasives and overspray may contain elevated levels of copper

Marine antifouling paint can be a source of copper in stormwater runoff. (Photo courtesy of wikipedia.org)Generally the most effective practices for source control involve housekeeping, preventative maintenance, and employee education. Facilities should consider minimizing the generation of debris during blasting operations and also minimizing the overspray that could come into contact with stormwater discharge. In addition

, sweeping surfaces to remove copper-enriched dust and debris, or relocating/covering industrial activates that may produce copper dust and debris to prevent contact with precipitation or

stormwater runoff.

Additional resources

There are several websites available to assist in performing a self-evaluation of copper sources

. An internet search for the term “reducing copper in stormwater” should bring up several listings.

DEQ has prepared an Industrial Stormwater Best Management Practices Manual that discusses copper and several other pollutant sources and identifies actions you can take to reduce pollution in stormwater

. The State of Washington has posted videos on

their Washington Stormwater Channel . Videos include BMPs to reduce copper and other pollutants in stormwater.

Another resource may be Oregon State University Extension Service . You can check their website for the availability of classes and information that address reducing impact from stormwater discharge.

To speak with someone about reducing pollution in stormwater please contact the DEQ regional office in your area.

Alternative Formats Alternative formats of this document can be made available. Contact DEQ’s Office of Communications & Outreach for more information at (503) 229-5696.

Hearing impaired, dial 711.