A system and method for the detection and removal of copper from wastewater streams from semiconductor or printed circuit board manufacturing is described and claimed. The detection system and method involve the addition of a reagent that reacts with copper to quench the fluorophore present, with the decrease in fluorescence being detected by a fluorometer. The reduction of fluorescence is then used to calculate the amount of copper present in the form of Cu+2 ion in the wastewater. The removal system and method involve either the addition of a polymer that reacts with copper to form an insoluble precipitate with said precipitate then being removed by using any technique commonly known in the art; or the use of an ion exchange column to remove the copper from the wastewater stream.