The CWQG for copper is related to water hardness (as CaCO₃):

When the water hardness is 0 to < 82 mg/L, the CWQG is 2 µg/L

At hardness ≥82 to ≤180 mg/L the CWQG is calculated using this equation (see calculator below)

CWQG (µg/L) = 0.2 * e^{{0.8545[ln(hardness)]-1.465}}

At hardness >180 mg/L, the CWQG is 4 µg/L

If the hardness is unknown, the CWQG is 2 µg/L

The online calculator (below) will return the correct value over the entire range of hardness.

Enter water hardness here:
mg/L CaCO₃ The value must be greater than 0.

Calculated copper guideline:
µg/L Cu

Note: No fact sheet created. For more information on this guideline, please refer to Canadian Water Quality Guidelines (CCREM 1987). Out of convenience, this guideline was presented as a range depending upon the water hardness in earlier versions of CCME (1999). It is now presented as an equation as it originally appears in CCREM (1987).

= 200 µg/L for cereals = 1000 µg/L for tolerant crops No fact sheet created. For more information on this guideline, please refer to Canadian Water Quality Guidelines (CCREM 1987).

= 500 µg/L for sheep, 1000 µg/L for cattle, 5000 µg/L for swine and poultry No fact sheet created. For more information on this guideline, please refer to Canadian Water Quality Guidelines (CCREM 1987). 

Data are sufficient and adequate to calculate a Soil Quality Guideline for Human Health (SQG_HH) and a Soil Quality Guideline for Environmental health (SQG_E). Therefore the soil quality guideline is the lower of the two and represents a fully integrated de novo guideline for this land use, derived in accordance with the soil protocol (CCME 1996;2006). The corresponding interim soil quality criterion (CCME 1991) is superseded by the soil quality guideline.

For guidelines derived prior to 2004, differentiation between soil texture (coarse/fine) is not applicable.

Data are sufficient and adequate to calculate a Soil Quality Guideline for Human Health (SQG_HH) and a Soil Quality Guideline for Environmental health (SQG_E). Therefore the soil quality guideline is the lower of the two and represents a fully integrated de novo guideline for this land use, derived in accordance with the soil protocol (CCME 1996;2006). The corresponding interim soil quality criterion (CCME 1991) is superseded by the soil quality guideline.

For guidelines derived prior to 2004, differentiation between soil texture (coarse/fine) is not applicable.

Data are sufficient and adequate to calculate a Soil Quality Guideline for Human Health (SQG_HH) and a Soil Quality Guideline for Environmental health (SQG_E). Therefore the soil quality guideline is the lower of the two and represents a fully integrated de novo guideline for this land use, derived in accordance with the soil protocol (CCME 1996;2006). The corresponding interim soil quality criterion (CCME 1991) is superseded by the soil quality guideline.

For guidelines derived prior to 2004, differentiation between soil texture (coarse/fine) is not applicable.

Data are sufficient and adequate to calculate a Soil Quality Guideline for Human Health (SQG_HH) and a Soil Quality Guideline for Environmental health (SQG_E). Therefore the soil quality guideline is the lower of the two and represents a fully integrated de novo guideline for this land use, derived in accordance with the soil protocol (CCME 1996;2006). The corresponding interim soil quality criterion (CCME 1991) is superseded by the soil quality guideline.

For guidelines derived prior to 2004, differentiation between soil texture (coarse/fine) is not applicable.