Friday, July 28, 2006

Water water everywhere, nor any drop to drink.

In the current issue of Private Eye, there is a report about the water supply on the Island of Jersey. The environment minister wants to restrict groundwater extraction and introduce metering. He has based these measures on a study by the British Geological Survey on the island's water resources.
George Langlois, a local water diviner, says there is water deep down underneath the island, which completely contradicts the BGS findings.
Who would you believe? A team of geologists who have studied the island and concluded that the water table is shallow and only extends down for 30 metres below the surface, or a dowser with a forked twig?
Guess which way the Jersey States have gone? (Hint: would I be blogging about this if they'd gone for the sensible option?)
If you want to read Mr Langlois own testimony to the States, where he explains how the moon draws water from France (!) to below the island, then click on this link. The interview took place two years ago.
Though reading it, I'm not convinced that the committee themselves are convinced by Mr Langlois.
Here is another case where believing in pseudoscience can be bad for your health. If the States go with Mr Langlois in search of non-existant water, and do nothing to conserve what water they have in these times of increasingly hot summers, they run the risk of running dry, and when that happens, life on the island will become untenable.
The only hopeful descision they have made, is that they are going to test Mr Langlois' claim by making some test bores. They should save their money.

1 comment:

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