DEER LAKE, N.L. — Something strange is happening along the shores of a small lake in western Newfoundland.
The lake, known as Bottomless Pond, started to rise last spring and hasn't let up, flooding five cabins and carrying them off their foundations in recent weeks.
Cabin owner Mark Hoyles says that from its lowest point during the dry summer months, the lake has risen an astonishing 20 metres, increasing its surface area by about 50 per cent.
No one knows what is causing the lake to expand at such an alarming rate, but there are theories.
Hoyles says he believes widespread flooding last year probably caused lakes in the surrounding hills to spill their banks, which in turn dumped sediment into the lake.
As a result, it would appear the natural drainage through the limestone bottom of Bottomless Lake was plugged, and the water had nowhere to go but up.