Corps cautions ice fishermen upstream of Lock 9

ST. PAUL, Minn. – ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, advises that ice fishing could be dangerous on the lower end of Pool 9 due to fluctuating pool elevations caused by forming ice.

A drop in pool elevation has occurred between Lock and Dam 9 and Lansing, Iowa, as a result of ice that formed in the roller gates at Lock and Dam 9. Crews from the Corps have been working to free the gates and get water flowing at normal levels. Water levels are anticipated to return to normal within the next two to three days.  

Corps officials caution that although the ice may look safe, air pockets can form when water levels drop rapidly, leaving open water.  

Fluctuating water levels at this time of year could harm some aquatic animals, but the extent of any effect is unknown.  

The nearly 600 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, employees working at more than 40 sites in five upper-Midwest states serve the American public in the areas of environmental enhancement, navigation, flood damage reduction, water and wetlands regulation, recreation sites and disaster response. Through the Corps’ Fiscal Year 2015 $100 million budget, nearly 1,600 non-Corps jobs were added to the regional economy as well as $155 million to the national economy. For more information, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil. 

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