How to find water on your land?

[msta999]

Anyone found a way to locate water under gound? I mean without spending 15 to 50K for someone to drill and hopefully find it. I was thinking since they have maps that can locate areas that have oil or minerals, there should be some that point to areas of water.
My grandpa used a pair of pliers as a divining or dowsing rod and when they drilled, they always struck water. I'm not saying this is the way ( http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Dowsing-or-Divining-Rods ), just wondering how others are finding water on a piece of land.

[Drawbar]

I am a firm believer in Dousing, but I won't get into that part of things.Its a debate that has no end really.

For the most part you can use maps, but actually walking the property with compass in hand is a better method. I have only lived here in Maine so my knowledge is limited to this area, but here the glaciers ran from the North and towards the Southwest. Most rivers here in Maine follow this general course, and so does the aquifer under the ground.

Since water always runs on top of bedrock, you can look around your property and find the outcrops of rock, and then follow the outcrops downhill and towards the Southwest. If you look around long enough you will see signs of water just under the surface. The key is to look for water loving vegetation, and of course topography, you will never find water high on a hill.

Interestingly enough, I use this method a lot but not to find water, but rather to find gravel. Like water, gravel came from the glaciers as well. Follow the glaciers, and you will find gravel and water.

[arrow62]

Up here in northwest Colorado we always look for a small willow bush. Usually where there is a willow bush you will find water. Too bad I can't find any willows on my 40 Acres.

Arrow

[bookwormom]

no willow here, I recommend dousing.