VANCOUVER — State-owned utility company BC Hydro has located a mysterious “floating island” that recently appeared and subsequently vanished in British Columbia’s Williston Reservoir. The landmass was spotted anchored along a shoreline roughly 30 kilometers northwest of its original position.
Measuring approximately 70 meters wide and 140 meters long—larger than a Canadian football field—the vegetation-covered mass is believed to have been propelled across the reservoir by powerful winds. BC Hydro officials noted that record-high water levels likely caused a significant chunk of land, complete with soil and trees, to detach from the reservoir’s bank. The exact origin of the formation remains unconfirmed.
John Clague, a geoscientist at Simon Fraser University, explained that strong winds combined with bank erosion in the Williston Reservoir can easily dislodge shallow-rooted trees along with their surrounding soil.
Warning that the island could drift again, BC Hydro has urged local boaters and residents to exercise extreme caution in the area and strictly advised against attempting to step onto the floating landmass.
