Water witching is real
Yes, water witching has been in existence for a long time. Only some people have this ability. My great grandmother would take a fresh twitch off of a weeping willow, shaped like a "Y". She would invert her hands, grasping the twig handles with wrists pointed in, she could walk across the water line and we would see the top of the branch literally bend toward the ground.
Proven time and time again, she located the drilling spots for the wells in the farm neighborhood that she lived in.
Some of us grandkids have the talent too, although not tested for decades. It's a gift.