• The Publisher’s Notebook •

In Malibu: Water Witches Wanted

BY ANNE SOBLE

More hot, dry Santa Ana winds are slated to dominate this week’s local weather conditions. The state is in a declared drought. Calls for water conservation exist at nearly every local governmental level and will become universal, if meaningful rainfall does not alter the current climate picture soon.
As was the case with recurring droughts throughout California’s checkered historical relationship with water, or lack of water, and the need to control access to water, there have always been some who claimed they could find water when all options had failed.
They are called dowsers, diviners, or water witches. Ridiculed by some, and revered by others, the water seekers no doubt have included some scammers, but there were also those individuals whose talents proved real, whether by coincidence or actuality. Those who benefited from their abilities usually chose not to question the success.
Malibu needs this talent now as it faces a season of potentially lethal conflagrations, at a time when water conservation is mandatory, not only for those in the water district, but also for those in Malibu’s hills and backcountry where wells, normally flush with water from the area’s flourishing creeks, are experiencing lower and lower groundwater tables.
Rain could be the immediate answer to these water woes, but for the fact that rain is not evident in any of the long-term weather forecasts. Even a normal rainy year might not be enough. A state Department of Water Resources official recently said so much of the state’s stored water supply has been used, normal winter rains won’t suffice to replenish the reserve.
So we’re issuing a formal call for a water witch, someone to practice the ancient art of dowsing. They may use a Y-shaped stick, or nothing at all, in their search. Scientists can say what they do about the inefficacy of the craft, water witches are in demand these days as the state’s agricultural core reels under the second year of official drought, and letting farmland lie fallow is better business than paying the high cost of bringing in water.
Just how many water witches are still around is an open question. Dowsers are not usually high profile. Many offer their services without charge, although some will accept gifts from the land they have helped.
So if there are any individuals out there with paranormal abilities, possessors of extreme sensitivity to environmental factors, or recipients of electromagnetic connections, we welcome contact. Whether we hope to find water underground, or reach up to the skies in search of rain, what we seek is nothing less than life itself.