I've been interested in getting a Berkey water purifier and they're "not sold in CA". So, I looked up any stainless steel water purifier and all of them aren't sold in CA. Why is that?

And is alumina (in the Berkey filters) safe?

I understand that the media used within the fluoride reduction elements is activated alumina, it that the same thing as aluminum?

The media used to extract the fluoride and arsenic is activated alumina. Since fluoride is a by-product of aluminum production, fluoride has a natural affinity to recombine with activated alumina making it an ideal extraction media. We are not chemists but will communicate our understanding on the subject. Both nutritionist and lab technicians have informed us that aluminum and alumina are two separate animals. Aluminum can cross the blood brain barrier and cause problems with the brain whereas alumina is inert. It is our understanding that alumina is oxidized aluminum. Aluminum is regulated whereas alumina is not for example, alumina is the material used for making the paste in toothpaste. At any rate, when testing for aluminum in water, most tests cannot distinguish between aluminum ions and oxidized alumina. Since we are not chemists, we tested the effluent from the filters and included that information in our brochure. While we were not required to do so, we felt that it was important to disclose to our customers what our results were so that they would have the necessary information to do further research on the issue should they desire to do so. We thin it was significant in the test we conducted using the combination of Black Berkey elements and PF-2 elements there was a net reduction in the tested aluminum content of the source water vs. the purified water. Again that test did not distinguish between aluminum and alumina. The bottom line is that the media utilized is oxidized alumina and not aluminum.

And, I found this about the RO system I bought (a year ago but haven't installed yet!). I don't know whether to install it or get rid of it. I don't know how they drain the water to the garden, but the plumbing must be complicated and expensive.

 Isn't Water Wasted Down The Drain With R.O. Systems?
There is a certain percentage of water from the system that goes to the drain. This water is carrying away the impurities. These particles are too small to be caught by the filters. Premier has an automatic shut-off valve that shuts off the flow of water to the drain when the holding tank is full. This valve stops the R.O. system from continuously running water down the drain, thus conserving water via the R.O. system working only according to usage.

What Is The Ratio Of Wastewater To The Pure Water Produced By A Premier R.O. Unit?
The typical ratio is 4 to 1, based on incoming water temperature and pressure.

Can This Water Be Saved And Used?
Yes. Most wastewater today is recycled for golf courses and artificial lakes. The drain water is slightly higher in TDS concentration than the incoming water, but as R.O. does not add anything to the water, it can be used to water your lawn or garden.