Aluminum in Water
Water is essential for life, but not all water is as pure as it seems.1 In recent years, aluminum presence in drinking water at concerning levels is raising alarms about potential health risks.2
Aluminum in Tap Water
Aluminum is finding its way into our tap water through a chemical called “Alum” (aluminum sulfate), which is commonly used in water treatment plants to remove impurities. While Alum is effective for clarifying water, it must be carefully managed. If the treatment process isn’t closely monitored—especially the pH levels and dosage—excess aluminum can slip through the system and end up in our drinking water. Unfortunately, in many aging or poorly maintained facilities, equipment wear is surprisingly common and can quietly increase the risk of aluminum contamination without triggering obvious alarms.
Water treatment is a highly technical process, and not all municipalities have the funding or oversight to ensure flawless operation around the clock. Experts believe the public isn’t adequately informed about how frequently these technical irregularities occur. Whether it’s outdated sensors, improperly calibrated pumps, or neglected maintenance schedules, the truth is that aluminum is seeping into our homes more than we realize — and no one is talking about it.
Aluminum in Water Wells
Aluminum contamination isn’t limited to city tap water—it’s increasingly showing up in private wells, too. One lesser-known pathway for this is through geoengineering efforts, specifically solar radiation management (SRM). This controversial climate intervention involves spraying reflective aluminum particles into the upper atmosphere to reflect sunlight and reduce global warming. The concern is that these particles don’t just stay in the sky—they eventually fall back to Earth, settling into our soil and slowly leaching into groundwater sources, including the wells many rural communities rely on.
Over time, this atmospheric fallout may build up in the environment, creating a slow and silent infiltration of aluminum into underground aquifers. Because well water is usually untreated and unfiltered, any aluminum in the surrounding soil can easily seep into the supply. And yet, there’s remarkably little public discussion or regulatory oversight on how geoengineering byproducts may be affecting our water quality. Some voices in the scientific and activist communities are raising alarms, asking why more long-term studies haven’t been done—or why the public wasn’t more involved in the conversation to begin with.
