ON-SITE MONITORING OF TOTAL COPPER BY ANODIC-STRIPPING VOLTAMMETRY, DURING ALGICIDE DOSING OF A RESERVOIR

The use of on-site anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of copper-based algicide dosing of a reservoir is presented. An initial comparison of the copper levels determined by anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) was performed in the laboratory using 46 water samples collected during an algal control treatment of a reservoir. Good correlation was observed at the 95% confidence limit. Use of ascorbate as oxygen scavenger in chloride media was found effective for copper determination in the field by ASV. The ascorbate-chloride electrolyte removes the need for inconvenient nitrogen or argon bubbling for oxygen removal. ASV monitoring was used to monitor algicide dosing operations by boat and aircraft. Data during the first 60 minutes of dosing is presented at surface, 5 and 10 metre depths.