diff --git a/v03_pipeline/lib/misc/family_entries.py b/v03_pipeline/lib/misc/family_entries.py
index e2258e309..d4ed9811c 100644
--- a/v03_pipeline/lib/misc/family_entries.py
+++ b/v03_pipeline/lib/misc/family_entries.py
@@ -98,13 +98,22 @@ def remove_family_guids(
     family_guids: hl.SetExpression,
 ) -> hl.Table:
     # Remove families from the existing project table structure (both the entries arrays and the globals are mutated)
-    family_indexes_to_keep = hl.array(
-        hl.enumerate(ht.globals.family_guids)
-        .filter(lambda item: ~family_guids.contains(item[1]))
-        .map(lambda item: item[0]),
+    family_indexes_to_keep = hl.eval(
+        hl.array(
+            hl.enumerate(ht.globals.family_guids)
+            .filter(lambda item: ~family_guids.contains(item[1]))
+            .map(lambda item: item[0]),
+        ),
     )
     ht = ht.annotate(
-        family_entries=family_indexes_to_keep.map(lambda i: ht.family_entries[i]),
+        # NB: this "should" work without the extra if statement (and does in the tests)
+        # however, experiments on dataproc showed this statement hanging with an empty
+        # unevaluated indexes array.
+        family_entries=hl.array(family_indexes_to_keep).map(
+            lambda i: ht.family_entries[i],
+        )
+        if len(family_indexes_to_keep) > 0
+        else hl.empty_array(ht.family_entries.dtype.element_type),
     )
     ht = ht.filter(hl.any(ht.family_entries.map(hl.is_defined)))
     return ht.annotate_globals(
diff --git a/v03_pipeline/lib/misc/lookup.py b/v03_pipeline/lib/misc/lookup.py
index 6a7e3cbbc..1c3884638 100644
--- a/v03_pipeline/lib/misc/lookup.py
+++ b/v03_pipeline/lib/misc/lookup.py
@@ -128,22 +128,23 @@ def remove_project(
     existing_project_guids = hl.eval(ht.globals.project_guids)
     if project_guid not in existing_project_guids:
         return ht
-    project_indexes_to_keep = (
+    project_indexes_to_keep = hl.eval(
         hl.enumerate(existing_project_guids)
         .filter(lambda item: item[1] != project_guid)
-        .map(lambda item: item[0])
+        .map(lambda item: item[0]),
     )
     ht = ht.annotate(
         project_stats=(
-            project_indexes_to_keep.map(
-                lambda i: ht.project_stats[i],
-            )
+            # See "remove_family_guids" func for why this was necessary
+            hl.array(project_indexes_to_keep).map(lambda i: ht.project_stats[i])
+            if len(project_indexes_to_keep) > 0
+            else hl.empty_array(ht.project_stats.dtype.element_type)
         ),
     )
     ht = ht.filter(hl.any(ht.project_stats.map(hl.is_defined)))
     return ht.annotate_globals(
-        project_guids=project_indexes_to_keep.map(
-            lambda i: ht.project_guids[i],
+        project_guids=ht.project_guids.filter(
+            lambda p: p != project_guid,
         ),
         project_families=hl.dict(
             ht.project_families.items().filter(lambda item: item[0] != project_guid),