A man walks back and forth along the dry California ground. He holds a y-shaped willow branch. Will he be able to find water this way?

The man practices “water witching.” You can call water witching by many names—dowsing, divining, and even doodlebugging. Diviners think that if they pass over water, they will feel a pull on the stick. The point of the stick will turn downward. Voila! The diviner has found the perfect spot to drill for water!

Wouldn’t it be handy if water witching really worked? Finding underground water is tricky in a parched place like California. Many people pay diviners to locate aquifers. Aquifers are spongy bodies of underground rock. They contain water. During a drought, water above ground has dried up. Aquifers are one of the few water sources left.

Does water witching work? Rumors say yes. After all, people have been doing it for hundreds of years! But a belief’s age doesn’t make it true. Rumors don’t make something true, either.

Does water witching hold up to science? The truth is that aquifers are abundant in many places. No matter where a diviner walked around—and no matter where his stick pointed—he would probably find water. In fact, it would be hard not to find water! And to actually discover how much water you’re standing on, you’ll need more than a willow branch. You’ll need some scientists to make a thorough study of the area.

Times are hard in California right now. People would do almost anything for water. But they can ask for help from someone much better than a diviner!

“When He utters his voice there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and He makes the mist rise from the ends of the Earth.” —Jeremiah 51:16