Page 20 - NCRWA Tarheel Pipeline Spring 2013
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NCRWA.COM |
Spring 2013
feature
Immediately, he begins pacing through the
thick grass of the wide open pasture, staring
intently at his rods and waiting for a reaction.
With only a few steps, the rods jerk closed with
evident tension. And again, and again, and
again. “There it is. That’s amazin’,” he declares,
beaming enthusiastically. Crossing each vein,
the rods close tight, indicating a water source.
It is an astonishing feat to detect the
whereabouts of water with an old coat hanger,
but according to Simpson, that isn’t all you can
learn from the rods.
“If you want to know more, all you have to
do is ask them,” says Simpson with an earnest
grin. “I talk to myself and I ask: Is it 10 feet? If
those rods don’t react, I ask again,” he explains
as he readjusts his cowboy hat. “Eventually,
they will cross and that’s how I find the depth
and gallons-per-minute.”
This method has been working for Simpson
for over 40 years.
On a mission to locate a source of
underground water, Simpson plays an integral
part in ensuring that people in the Stanly
County area can find the water they need for
their homes, farms, and businesses.
Since poultry producers dominate much
of the rural communities, their income
largely depends on the well-being of
their animals. Drinking water is an obvious
key to survival, but it is equally important for
farmers to keep their poultry houses cool during
the heat of the southern summers. A constant
supply of water running to cool cells and roof
sprinklers are used to ventilate and cool the
poultry houses.
“So, if a poultry producer is out of water
then he’s got a house full of dead chickens,”
declares Simpson.
Peering over his thick rimmed glasses, he
is eager to share his knowledge and goes on
to tell stories of how gratifying it is to be able
to help others who are in desperate need of
finding water.
Just like the poultry producer’s imminent
need for water to keep his chickens alive, many
farmers and families look to Simpson to help
them locate water. Being a farmer himself, he
understands the importance of having a strong
supply of water and enjoys using his gift to help
others when they are in desperate situations.
Most days, Simpson is busy tending to cattle
on his farm. So, he usually only breaks out his
coat hangers for those who have had no success
finding water. Since he keeps his clientele
limited, he only charges a mere $50 for his
services. This is a nominal fee in comparison
to some of his counterparts who charge over
$500 to locate the same source of water.
Regardless of who
performs it, the art of water
witching still remains a mystery to
be solved. “I reckon somebody could
explain it, but I can’t. I just know it works,”
he affirms, as he packs his things back into
the old Ford truck.
In an attempt to better understand this
mystery, several university and government-
funded studies have focused on the technique
of water witching and the individuals claiming
to have this ability to find water. While the
scientific research nearly always returns that
water witching is no more effective than chance
itself, studies also acknowledge that there is a
possibility that individual’s performing water
witching subconsciously recognize locations
that may produce water and have micro-
reactions to these characteristics that cause the
tools of the trade to react.
Other scientists have given some possibility
to the existence of magnetic fields caused by
underground water sources that may cause
some type of reaction, either in the rods or in
the individuals that perform this task.
Still, no concrete evidence of
either exists.
Professional Engineer and
the Executive Director of the
North Carolina Rural Water
Association,
Daniel
Wilson,
added that he had also used similar
techniques (he was not all that fond
of using the term “witching” for the
practice) for locating underground
water lines earlier in his career
and many professionals in the water
industry still believe in the practice of
the techniques.
“Today, we have technology
such as Ground Penetrating Radars
and even infrared imaging to locate
underground assets, but there are many
L-shaped coat hangers still in use
in our industry,”
he explained.
“We also know and
understand a significant amount of
hydrogeological information these days
that was not as readily available in years
past such as the locations and depths of
many of the aquifers in the state,”
Wilson added.
Regardless of the skepticisms, what it
comes down to is results, and Simpson has a
substantial track record. Since 1972, he has
only found two dry holes, and that’s good
enough to hang that big cowboy hat on any day.
Ms. Scarlett Lynn Howell is a native of North Carolina and
is a current student at High Point University, where she is
studying Journalism.
Bannister, K. (1996). Water dowsing in arid regions: Report
on a ten year German government project. Retrieved from
Fishman, C. (2011). The big thirst: The secret life and
turbulent future of water. New York: Free Press.
“It is an astonishing
feat to detect the
whereabouts of
water with an old
coat hanger...”
