Looking for Water on the Farm

As you've read in my earlier posts, we only had one borehole on the farm. We thought it would be good to get someone to help us find a place to sink another borehole as a backup. Our borehole man said he could show us where the water was.

So one Saturday we met him on the farm, and out came the forked stick. It turned out our man was a water dowser.

What is water dowsing?

"Water dowsing" generally refers to using a forked stick, rod, pendulum or similar device to locate underground water, minerals or other hidden substances. It has been a subject of discussion and controversy for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Most dowsers (also called diviners or water witches) use the traditional forked stick, which may come from trees such as willow, peach or witch hazel. Others use keys, wire coat hangers, pliers, wire rods, pendulums or various boxes and electrical instruments.

In the classic method, one fork is held in each hand with the palms upward, and the bottom end of the "Y" points skyward at about 45°. The dowser walks back and forth over the area. When he passes over water, the end of the stick is supposed to rotate or be pulled downward. According to dowsers, the pull can be so strong that the bark peels off as the rod twists in their hands.

A few spots where we could drill were identified, but we decided to wait and gather more information before spending money on drilling.