The crystal structure of the title compound, [CuCl(C(5)H(8)NO(4))(C(12)H(8)N(2))].H(2)O or [CuCl(L-Glu)(phen)].H(2)O (where phen is 1,10-phenanthroline and L-Glu is L-glutamate), shows that the ternary complex consists of two neutral molecules, in which the Cu(II) ions each have a distorted square-pyramidal coordination geometry comprised of one bidentate phenanthroline ligand, one O,N-bidentate L-glutamate anion and an apical Cl(-) anion. The angles between the planes of the Cu-phenanthroline and the Cu-aminocarboxylate chelate rings are 6.1 (5) and 11.8 (5) degrees in the two molecules. The Cu-Cl bond lengths are 2.608 (3) and 2.590 (3) A in the two molecules, slightly longer than the value of 2.546 A observed for the Cu-Cl bond in the analogous chloro(L-glycinato)(1,10-phenanthroline)copper complex [Solans, Ruiz-Ramírez, Martinez, Gasque & Briansó (1983). Acta Cryst. C44, 628-631]. Additionally, the Cu ion is weakly coordinated at a sixth position by an alpha-carboxyl O atom from a neighbouring complex. A number of intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonds stabilize the crystal structure.