INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Michigan Power has started work to replace the main gates on the Elkhart dam, which are more than 100 years old.

The Fort Wayne-based utility says work began Thursday and will continue throughout the year. The dam on the St. Joseph River was built in 1913 and can generate enough electricity to power 3,000 homes. But the dam’s gates are reaching the end of their useful life.

The utility says in a news release that the project shouldn’t have much of an impact on the water level of the river. But a fishing access point upriver from the dam will be inaccessible during construction.

A canoe portage route downstream may also be closed at times because of the project.