A huge tree-covered island mysteriously appeared in a Canadian reservoir before disappearing weeks later, leaving locals and officials trying to figure out where it went. The strange landmass was spotted floating in British Columbia's Williston Reservoir in July by a local boater, who photographed it and shared the images with resident Rocky Avery. The pictures quickly spread online, but there was one problem: nobody seemed to know where the massive island had come from.
Satellite images later confirmed that it was real. BC Hydro found the island in satellite imagery from July 21, showing the unusual landmass floating in the reservoir west of Finlay Bay. The island was estimated to be about 230 feet wide and 460 feet long, making it roughly the size of two NFL football fields. It was also covered with trees and other vegetation.
By August, the island could no longer be seen where it had previously been spotted, prompting people to wonder whether it had sunk beneath the water. A BC Hydro spokesperson said the landmass could have drifted toward the shoreline or into another, more sheltered part of the enormous reservoir, meaning it may still be somewhere out there. One possible explanation is that unusually high water levels loosened the landmass from the shoreline.
Strong winds could then have pushed the floating piece of land across the reservoir. Williston Reservoir is enormous, created by the W.A.C. Bennett Dam across northern British Columbia, and is the province's largest lake and one of the world's largest reservoirs by volume. That makes finding a floating island that has gone missing considerably harder, and BC Hydro is now keeping an eye out for the strange landmass in case it turns up again.