A simple method has been developed for the solid phase extraction of chromium (VI) based on the adsorption of its diphenylcarbazide (DPC) complex on an alumina column. The effect of various parameters such as acidity, stability of the column, sample volume, and interfering ions have been studied in detail. The adsorbed complex could be easily desorbed using sulphuric acid and the concentration of chromium has been established using atomic absorption spectrophotometry and visible spectrophotometry. The calibration graph was linear in the range of 0-1 mu g/mL chromium (VI) with a detection limit of 4 mu g/L. A highest preconcentration factor of 125 could be obtained for 5000 mL sample volume using glass wool as support for alumina. Chromium (VI) could be effectively separated from other ions such as zinc, nickel, copper, chloride, sulphate, and nitrate and the method has been successfully applied to study the recovery of chromium in spiked well water and tap water samples.