Characterization of Copper Algaecide (Copper Ethanolamine) Dissipation Rates Following Pulse Exposures

Dissipation rates of copper following algaecide treatments resulting in pulse exposures can be accurately modeled if the component dissipation rates are known. Scaled experiments (in situ, laboratory and mesocosm) were used to parse and rank dominant processes from concurrent processes affecting copper fate in pulse exposures. Copper dissipation rates were measured cumulatively in situ and in mesocosms as well as individually in laboratory experiments. Predictions of the influence of individual dissipation rates on the cumulative dissipation rate were assessed mathematically. In situ aqueous copper dissipated rapidly following an algaecide treatment, with a measured half-life of 0.03 days. Based on laboratory experiments, the most rapid copper fate process was dilution with a half-life of 0.03 days, followed by sediment sorption with a half-life of approximately 3 days. Mesocosm experiments incorporating physical characteristics of the site (i.e., dilution, sediment, algae, and site water) resulted in similar copper dissipation rates (0.02 days) relative to the in situ copper dissipation rate. Prediction of the fate of copper from algaecide treatments requires incorporation of accurate estimates of dominant fate processes that can be determined physically and mathematically.