Desperate Measures for Dry Times

California is suffering from the second straight year of a drought. So far, the result has been $260 million in crop damages and 80,000 acres of farmable land left to grow wild.

It’s possible to find water hidden underground with costly seismic studies and electromagnetic imaging. But there’s a cheaper (and much less scientific) option that many California farmers have been trying.

Dowsers, or “water witches,” walk across the land holding a forked tree branch. They claim the branch bends or pulls when water is underfoot. If it happens three times in a row at a particular spot, they recommend that spot for drilling.

Scientists are skeptical of the “art” of dowsing, but those who have seen results are believers. A California well driller, a Mr. Hennings, told The New York Times: “How they do it is beyond me.” At a recent job, he drilled five test holes in dowser-selected locations. And four out of the five hit pay dirt – water, that is.

(Source: nytimes.com)

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