It is often used to look for water, and farmers in California have been known to ask dowsers to find ways to irrigate their land. Yet despite many anecdotal reports of success, dowsing has never been shown to work in controlled scientific tests.

What is the science behind dowsing for water?

The natural explanation of "successful" water dowsing is that in many areas underground water is so prevalent close to the land surface that it would be hard to drill a well and not find water. In a region of adequate rainfall and favorable geology, it is difficult not to drill and find water!

How do dowsing rods find water?

In water divining, dowsers use two rods or a single forked stick to detect underground water sources. They believe that when they walk over a water source, the rods will spontaneously cross or the stick will suddenly jerk downward.