BUFFALO, N.Y. — If you drive by Cazenovia Creek in South Buffalo, you may notice some strange triangular holes out on the ice.
They may look alien but serve an important purpose.
As weak ice builds on the surface of the creek, Buffalo Police cut the holes to encourage stronger ice to grow and make it less likely that the ice will break apart, cause a dam, and flood the neighborhood.
The work at began on Friday, when the Buffalo Police Department started to chronicle the effort with a post on Facebook.
The team on Friday cut 58 triangles, all between the Stevenson and Southside bridges.
"The ice in this area of Caz was found in the range of six inches thick," Buffalo Police said in the post. "The top half was cloudy white weaker ice, the bottom half we found the clear ice layer, which is harder and more solid."