Discovery on Williston Reservoir

In early August 2026, footage filmed by recreational boaters on Williston Reservoir in northern British Columbia began circulating across social media platforms. The video showed a detached landmass measuring approximately 70 by 140 metres (nearly 9,800 square metres, or about one and a half American football fields) drifting on the freshwater surface. Nearly 100 mature trees and dense vegetation swayed with the water currents atop the floating structure. Longtime local resident Rocky Avery shared the clip on Facebook after receiving it from a friend who spotted the formation near Peace Arm. Avery, who has lived in Canada for 40 years, stated that he had never witnessed such a phenomenon before. The footage prompted local power utility BC Hydro, which operates the reservoir and the nearby W.A.C. Bennett Dam, to investigate the reports.

Verification and disappearance

Because synthetic media has become increasingly common online, BC Hydro spokesperson Bob Gammer initially suspected the circulating video clips might have been generated by artificial intelligence tools.

“I thought it could have been anywhere. Maybe it was not real.”

Archived satellite imagery from the European Space Agency Sentinel-2 mission, part of the Copernicus programme, confirmed that the formation was real. Imagery captured on 21 July 2026 showed the mass floating in the main body of the reservoir, approximately 96 to 100 kilometres west of the W.A.C. Bennett Dam. However, follow-up satellite observations taken on 5 August 2026 showed that the island was no longer present at those coordinates. The sudden disappearance left utility managers uncertain whether the structure had sunk to the bottom of the lake or drifted toward a protected inlet.

Relocation and tracking

The disappearance prompted international interest, drawing independent observers such as Finlay Farquhar, a United Kingdom resident with a background in radio engineering who used public tools to track the formation. In late August 2026, BC Hydro confirmed that the floating mass had been relocated near the shore, roughly 30 to 32 kilometres from its initial recorded location. Aerial spotters, including pilots flying over northern British Columbia, provided eyewitness reports that corroborated updated satellite data. The island had drifted into the northern entrance of the Ospika Arm of Williston Reservoir, where it appeared to have run aground along the shoreline.

Formation and safety warnings

BC Hydro officials explained that the mass likely developed over many years in a sheltered coastal area of the reservoir. Decades of accumulated driftwood and woody debris provided a buoyant foundation upon which soil, shrubs, and trees could establish roots. When water levels in Williston Reservoir reached their highest point since 2012 (the highest mark in 14 years), the rising water lifted the consolidated debris bed and set it adrift into the lake. While some area residents believe certain trees on the formation could be several decades old, BC Hydro cautioned the public against attempting to visit or walk across the unstable structure.

“It is a remote location and most people will never get close to it. Stay away from the island. It could break apart.”