Langley Township worker uses old school divining rods to find water

Mike Sandell’s job is to find water.

He works for Langley Township and it can be a challenge to figure out where water pipes run into properties. Sometimes modern devices don’t do the job.

“Some services have a plastic cap so it is pretty much impossible to find them with a metal detector,” Sandell said.

That’s when he breaks out his witching sticks. Sandell practises dowsing, the ancient craft of using divining rods to find groundwater.

“As we come up to the service of the property, you notice they come in,” Sandell said as he walked with his divining rods. “As I walk past, they come back out again.”

Years ago, Sandell spotted a man using what he called “witching sticks.”

“I went back and made myself my own little rods and I’ve been doing it since,” he said. “I know it doesn’t work for everybody but I’m a believer.”

Sandell admits there is no real science behind dowsing but he feels it helps him do his job. He says the sticks can help save time and avoid unnecessary digging.

So what do people think when they see him walking around with his divining rods?

“Some people are pretty much amazed by how I can find water with the sticks and some people just walk away confused.”

– With files from Ted Field