Rockford dam on Shell Rock River has been removed

ROCKFORD, Iowa (AP) - The old Rockford dam on the Shell Rock River has been removed.

The Mason City Globe Gazette says (https://bit.ly/1ekLKKo ) the project had started at the end of January. Officials had discussed removing the dam for more than a decade.

In 2010 the Iowa Natural Resources Department said the dam was in a state of failure and recommended that it be fixed or removed. The dam, which was about 8 feet high and 170 feet long, was built in 1872 to provide water power for a grain mill.

Officials say they think removing the dam will make the river a better habitat for fish.

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Information from: Globe Gazette, https://www.globegazette.com/