A peculiar hole in the ice at Tyee Lake has area residents scratching their heads
“Like everyone else, we’re curious. We’d like to know what it is,” said 16-year resident Kim McCaveney.
The McCaveney’s home is on the lakeshore in front of the hole in the ice, which sits about 60 feet from shore in about 20 feet of water. She said the open water varies in size depending on the weather, but didn’t even close through the month of February which broke records for cold temperatures.
“I have friends who have lived here 40 years, others who grew up on the lake, and they haven’t seen anything like this. It’s very strange.”
In January, McCaveney said the hole grew to the size of an Olympic pool. In February it closed in to about 20 by 30 feet but is already growing again with the warm weather.
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McCaveney said a duck lived in the hole until December, and since then an otter has taken up residency in the open water.
Residents in the area have reached out to government officials all winter for answers, but haven’t received anything back.
In an effort to find answers themselves, McCaveney said some residents took the temperature of the water at varying depths within the open ice and came up with a consistent reading of 5C from top to bottom. In other areas of the lake, the water temperature gave a reading of 4C at the top and 3C at the bottom.
By making the mystery public, McCaveney is hoping someone might have a scientific answer to what’s keeping the lake open. She also wants to drawn attention to the hazard for the many people who recreate on the popular lake, located about a 45 minute drive north east of Williams Lake.
“We’ve marked it with stakes and ribbon because we worry it’s a safety concern. We keep a personal flotation device and about 70 feet of rope at our door just in case.”
McCaveney said springs are common in the lake and there certainly seems to be a current in the location of the open water, but beyond that they are stumped.
“What we’re after is an explanation. Everyone’s just curious.”
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