California farmers hire dowsers to find water

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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CALIFORNIA_DROUGHT_WATER_WITCHING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-03-02-11-02-56

Mar 2, 11:02 AM EST
California farmers hire dowsers to find water
By JASON DEAREN

ST. HELENA, Calif. (AP) -- With California in the grips of drought, farmers throughout the state are using a mysterious and some say foolhardy tool for locating underground water: dowsers, or water witches.

Practitioners of dowsing use rudimentary tools - usually copper sticks or wooden "divining rods" that resemble large wishbones - and what they describe as a natural energy to find water or minerals hidden deep underground.

While both state and federal water scientists disapprove of dowsing, California "witchers" are busy as farmers seek to drill more groundwater wells due to the state's record drought that persists despite recent rain.

The nation's fourth-largest wine maker, Bronco Wine Co., says it uses dowsers on its 40,000 acres of California vineyards, and dozens of smaller farmers and homeowners looking for wells on their property also pay for dowsers. Nationwide, the American Society of Dowsers, Inc. boasts dozens of local chapters, which meet annually at a conference.


In this photo taken Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014, proprietor Marc Mondavi demonstrates dowsing with "diving rods" to locate water at the Charles Krug winery in St. Helena, Calif. As water supplies shrink during California’s historic drought, vineyard owners and other farmers are looking to an ancient, yet scientifically discredited, source for finding water: dowsers. Also known as water witches, dowsers use so-called “divining rods” made of copper or wood, pendulums or other items to find water deep underground using nothing more than their own intuition. Even though dowsing hasn’t held up under scientific scrutiny, according to U.S. Geological Survey, it remains a popular national past-time, especially in drought-stricken areas. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

[Deep13]

1. con artists. nt

[TexasProgresive]

2. Don't know how it works

but I've seen gas and water utility people use bent welding rods to locate pipes and it worked. One old man who worked for a local rural water company used a half opened pocket knife with the point on his little finger and the body balanced on his forefinger. He was never wrong. If these people are conning what's their reason?- They certainly aren't doing it for money.

[shraby]

3. That's how we found water for a well to water the garden with.

An old dowser came and he was spot on.

[dhill926]

4. could just point them at the sky...

this weekend...

[Thor_MN]

5. Desperation.

It's not like aquifers are two feet by two feet and you have to sink the well on the dime or miss it. Any random spot on the property will have just as good odds of having water.

[Sienna86]

6. Think I recall one on This Old House

Don't think we know all the mysteries of how this wonderful world works quite yet...

[calikid]

7. It worked for me.

Many years ago I was running a campground on the Northern California coast. During a busy holiday weekend with about a thousand people there, the local water district manager came by and said that we had a big leak, we had little time to find and repair it before we were shut off. While running around like the proverbial chicken, a camper that came every year at the same time saw me scurrying about and asked what the problem was, I told him and his response was to go get two metal coat hangers. Before I go any further I feel I should tell you that this gentleman was a retired plumber from the city of San Jose, very crusty, but down to earth. So, the plumber proceeded to take the hangers apart and formed them into a straight piece with a 90 degree bend at one end for a handle.
There were no diagrams of the water system, so he had me walk in the areas where I thought the pipes might be. It didn't take long to find the pipes, and then the leak. It seemed like a miracle to me, but it worked, and all the campers had a happy ending.
After the pipe was repaired, I went to many of the campers who I'd come to be friends with. I let over twenty people try their hand at witching on lines that I knew the location of, 3/4's of the people were able to witch.
If there's one thing I want to get across here, it's: Don't Pooh Pooh the woo if you haven't tried it!

[HuckleB]

9. Hogwash.

http://water.usgs.gov/edu/dowsing.html

[Godhumor]

8. if you are in a geological area that supports water, you will find it if you drill deep enough

There is a reason dowsing has never been proven to work in controlled studies. Post hoc rationalization (He always find water therefore it works) is a hell of a thing.