The spectroscopy emission characteristics of trace heavy metal copper in water enriched with graphite is studied based on laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique, with a 1064 nm wavelength NdYAG laser as excitation source, the echelle spectrometer and intensified charge coupled device detector are used for spectral separation and high sensitive detection with high resolution and wide spectral range. The characteristic spectral line of 324.75 nm with detection delay time 1100 ns and gate time 2100 ns is selected for copper (Cu) in the experiment. The calibration curve of Cu is plotted based on different concentration measurement results, and the limit of detection with 0.0672 mg/L is obtained for Cu in water. The reference data is provided for further study on the fast measurement of trace heavy metals in water by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy technique.