A forested island roughly as big as a soccer field turned up in the middle of a Canadian reservoir, lingered for a few weeks and then vanished without leaving a trace. The strange landmass, about 70 metres wide and 140 metres long, was spotted on Williston Reservoir in northern British Columbia last month. Its sudden arrival and equally sudden exit left locals and officials scratching their heads.
A sight nobody expected
A boater first recorded video and photographs of the island and passed them along to Rocky Avery, who then shared them on social media. He had a practical reason for doing so. A big fishing derby was coming up, and he wanted everybody to know what was out on the water.
"It was a pretty amazing sight to see, never seen anything like that in my 40 years in this country," he said. He also wanted the power company BC Hydro to be aware of it, "just in case it was floating down their way."
BC Hydro representative Bob Gammer admitted he was doubtful at first, given how much AI-generated content now circulates online. The island was "difficult to locate," and only a small number of reports had reached the company. It was not something they had "heard of before." Satellite pictures, however, confirmed that the island was real.
Gone by August 5
More images of the island were captured, but by August 5 it could no longer be seen. "It’s disappeared," Gammer confirmed. Even so, he stressed that it had not necessarily sunk. "It doesn’t mean it’s gone to the bottom of the reservoir. It may have returned to a more sheltered area along the shoreline."
Gammer offered one possible explanation for where the island came from. He suggested it may have formed slowly over many years close to the shore, as driftwood piled up and stayed put long enough for plants to take root in the debris. In effect, a small patch of woodland could have grown on a raft of timber.
Williston recently reached full capacity after snow and rainfall, and BC Hydro opened its spillways during June and July. The very high water is thought to have lifted the mass free, with winds then pushing it out into open water. Gammer said the company had not seen such levels in 14 years, and that the theory "seems reasonable." He added that the unusually high water had dragged more debris into the reservoir than anyone expected.
Not the first of its kind
Floating islands are apparently quite common near dam sites. Similar ones have been documented in Africa’s Lake Victoria and in Lake Chippewa in Wisconsin, which includes the notable "Forty Acre Bog" peat island.
For now, the Williston island remains something of a puzzle. It may be tucked into a sheltered stretch of shoreline, out of sight of boaters and satellites alike, waiting for the next high water to set it adrift again.
Image credit: Facebook
Source: The Mirror US
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