He also said age was only one factor that contributed to the stress that can cause a water-main break.

Mr. Garden said the water-main break came "at an inopportune time."

I prayed for a water-main break or a fender-bender, anything to distract the police; surely, they had more important things to do.

In the year that ended last June 30 there were 604 water-main breaks, and there are more every year.

"This is the largest water-main break we've ever seen."

Q. My insurance company says that I am not covered for the damage to my home by the water-main break.

Reporting is what you do when sent out to cover a water-main break.

There have also been a significant number of water-main breaks, due to the deep freeze and thaw cycles.

The city was also plagued with water-main breaks during cold snaps and ran out of space to dump snow.

Some of the photographs document problems, like water-main breaks, that are familiar to city residents.