Copper Sources and Management Strategies Clearinghouse

 

 

 

Copper Sources - P2/BMPs

Stormwater Runoff

Vehicle Brake Pads
Architectural Copper
Pool/Spa/Fountain Algaecides
Copper Pesticides
Industrial Copper Use
Soil Erosion
Mobile Cleaning
Vehicle Washing
Vehicle Services

Discharges to POTWs

Copper Piping Corrosion
Industrial Copper Use
Cooling Towers
Printing
Vehicle Services

Shoreline Activities

Marine Anti-fouling Coatings
Copper Algaecides
Site Source Control, Design, and Waste Management

 

 

 

Vehicle Brake Pads

Vehicle brake pads manufacturers use a variety of ingredients, including copper in formulating brake pads. Each vehicle stop wears off a tiny amount of brake pad material ("friction material") which may be deposited on the road, vehicle or other places in the urban environment. Studies conducted in South San Francisco Bay identified vehicle brake pad wear debris as a significant source of copper in urban runoff. Other facts relating to brake pads include the following:

  • Brake pads can contain as much as twenty percent copper;
  • Bbrake pad wear debris may contribute up to forty percent of the copper that enters the Bay through storm drains;
  • Copper content can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and among pads made by the same manufacturer; and
  • Low-copper and no-copper brake pads are available for at least some models of cars.

Stormwater Control Measures

The most effective source control measure is to reduce the copper content in vehicle brake pads. Other control measures involving collecting copper after it is released to the environment (e.g., street sweeping and treating urban runoff) or reducing vehicle miles traveled. Recognizing that reduction of copper in vehicle brake pads would require the cooperation of the brake pad industry, the Brake Pad Partnership (BPP) was organized. The BPP is a voluntary partnership effort involving stakeholders from the brake pad industry, environmental organizations, and state, federal, and local government agencies. The main focus of the BPP is to examine the link between brake pad wear debris and surface water quality impairment. If the BPP concludes that copper from brake pads is a significant source of water quality impairment, manufacturers have committed to voluntarily introducing new, lower copper products within five years.

Wastewater Control Measures

The release of copper from brake pads to a Publicly Owned Treatment Works is unlikely to occur.

Best Management Practices

The Brake Pad Partnership activities represent the primary control measures for copper in vehicle brake wear debris. Relevant information relating to the Brake Pad Partnership is housed within the following websites:

  • Brake Pad Partnership Technical Reference Library - This website contains a collection of literature relevant to the fate, transport, and environmental importance of copper in vehicle brake pads. The collection is designed to be a resource for the BPP Steering Committee, other Partnership stakeholders, technical experts assisting the BPP and other professionals interested in the relationship of vehicle-related pollutant releases and surface water quality.