A large, tree-covered island mysteriously appeared in British Columbia's Williston Reservoir this past summer, only to disappear from satellite imagery weeks later. The bizarre floating landmass was observed in the remote reservoir, north of Mackenzie, before it vanished.
Rocky Avery, a local resident, shared photos and videos of the island that were taken by a boater. "It was a pretty amazing sight to see, never seen anything like that in my 40 years in this country," Avery told CBC. He also noted his intention to inform BC Hydro, the provincial hydroelectric power utility, in case the island drifted towards their operations.
Initially, BC Hydro expressed skepticism about the sighting, with spokesman Bob Gammer citing concerns about the increasing prevalence of AI-generated images online. "It’s certainly something we’ve not heard of before," Gammer said. "And with not very many people reporting it, it was difficult to locate."
Satellite imagery from July 21 confirmed the island's existence and location in the main body of the reservoir, west of Finlay Bay. The landmass was estimated to be approximately 230 feet wide and 460 feet long, covering about 105,000 square feet.
However, by August 5, the island was no longer visible in satellite imagery. "We’ve been taking more updated snapshots and we can’t see the object anymore. So it’s disappeared now," Gammer stated. He suggested the island may have moved to a sheltered area along the shoreline rather than sinking.
Officials from BC Hydro have proposed a theory for the island's formation. Gammer explained that driftwood may have accumulated along the shoreline over several years, allowing plants and trees to take root in the decomposing material, thus forming a floating landmass. This year's unusually high water levels in the reservoir, attributed to significant winter snowpacks and steady summer rain, may have contributed to this phenomenon. BC Hydro had to open the WAC Bennett Dam's spillways in June and July due to the reservoir being fuller than it had been in 14 years.
Avery corroborated the impact of the high water, noting that it had washed out sand dunes and carried more debris into the reservoir than usual. "There’s areas we would never even drive a boat on before, and now we’re going up over top of it," he said.
BC Hydro does not anticipate the island causing operational issues but will continue to monitor the reservoir. Williston Reservoir, created in 1968 behind the WAC Bennett Dam, is the seventh-largest reservoir globally.