Most UK water companies have dropped the scientifically discredited method of dowsing to find water leaks, but Thames Water and Severn Trent Water say they still use it
Environment
27 January 2023
Some water engineers in the UK still use divining rods to trace water leaks Alex Ramsay/Alamy
Thames Water and Severn Trent Water are still use dowsing rods to detect leaks despite scientific studies showing that the method is ineffective.
A 2017 investigation found that 10 out of 12 water companies were regularly using water dowsing to detect leaks, prompting criticism from some academics that regulators should step in to stop the practice of “witchcraft” at customers’ cost.
New Scientist has now found that, more than five years later, most of the 19 …