Williston Reservoir is the world’s seventh‑largest artificial lake, stretching about 250 km north‑to‑south and 125 km east‑to‑west. Water levels are currently the highest they have been in 14 years.

According to B.C. Hydro spokesperson Bob Gammer, the island probably started as a pile of decaying logs that became bound together by tree roots. When the reservoir filled, the rise in water lifted the mass off the shore, creating a “flimsy” and “dangerous” floating platform.

The mass has been drifting northward, away from the W.A.C. Bennett Dam. Although Gammer described the island as fragile, he said it does not pose a threat to the dam.

The phenomenon shows how natural processes can reshape a man‑made lake, and it reminds locals and visitors to keep a safe distance from the unstable structure.