The earth is roughly 70 per cent water. And almost 96 per cent of that water can be found in the oceans. The rest exists in lakes, rivers, icecaps, glaciers and ground water. Some of it is water vapor in the air. That’s not the most interesting part. With all of that water around, it seems like the more difficult thing than finding water would be not finding water. Certain places on Earth are not blessed with an abundance of potable water that’s easy to access. That’s where the history of water finding really starts. People needed to find water to drink, support animals and farming and generally survive. Everyone needs water to live.
Dowsing and Witching
Some people swear by the practice of dowsing. What is dowsing? ““Dowsing,” “water witching,” “divining,” and “doodlebugging” are all names for the practice of locating groundwater by walking the surface of a property while holding a forked stick, a pair of L-shaped rods, a pendulum, or another tool that responds when the person moves above a location that will yield an adequate flow of water to a drilled well.” The science of dowsing is not universally accepted, but the theory is that dowser practitioners believe that water runs in subsurface veins or seams that must be intersected by the drill in order to produce a well. Dowsing plays a large role in the history of water finding but most geologists and hydrogeologists disapprove. The National Ground Water Association, in a position statement, “strongly opposes the use of water witches to locate groundwater on the grounds that controlled experimental evidence clearly indicates that the technique is totally without scientific merit.”
Hydrogeology
Hydrogeologists study the way that groundwater moves through the soil and rock of the earth. This is different from hydrologists who study surface water. Hydrogeology is the science of the way that water moves through the ground. The history of water finding has revealed that most fresh groundwater is located in the pore spaces of sedimentary rocks, filtered through and creating a water table that is generally horizontal or slightly sloping. Knowing the distribution of water and its movement is important for protecting water resources. Using geological maps and water samples from underground and on the surface, hydrogeologists can trace reserves and evaluate water quantity and quality.
Companies exist that only find water. The history of water finding has shown that not all geology is the same. Employing hydrogeologists will help to trace reserves, evaluate water quantity and predict how that water will interact with any exploration or drilling. American Water Surveyors uses leading technologies to measure groundwater depths and yields. This is beneficial to anyone requiring well locating or completion planning. Farmers/ranchers, municipalities, homeowners, real estate and golf course developers, and especially water well drillers use companies to survey before drilling begins. As a company investing thousands of dollars in drilling, you want to know that there’s something there to find and not just many feet of impenetrable bedrock.
