LITTLETON, Iowa (AP) — A project that will remove a dam from the Wapsipinicon River in eastern Iowa may create hazardous ice conditions for snowmobilers and ice anglers upstream. The Iowa Natural Resources Department says work is expected to begin Monday on the Littleton Dam in Buchanan County. Rock rapids are being emplaced so the water will pool to about the same level provided by the low-head dam.

Officials say water under the ice upstream will drop as the dam is removed, leaving several feet of empty space beneath. What appears to be stable ice could collapse unpredictably. The low-head dam presented a danger over the years. Nine people have died near the dam since it was built in 1934.