City Building Official Lance Carlson, left, in hard hat, and an OMI Inc. employee are pictured on East Fourth Street, where a six-inch water main broke last week. PHOTO BY MARSHALL GRIFFIN Workers last week labored overnight to repair a ruptured water main on East Fourth Street. Officials received a call Aug. 26 between 4-5 p.m. about a break in the line, Lampasas Public Works Director Randy Clark said.

OMI Inc., which provides water service to the city, was on the scene until 6 a.m. the next morning repairing the six-inch line.

Clark characterized the situation as “a very difficult repair,” because there were three service taps in the area of the break, as well as a sewer line farther south.

An area from Old Georgetown Road to the Sulphur Creek bridge on Fourth Street was affected, as were Briggs and College streets.

“We have a lot of volume in the system,” Clark said. “With dry conditions, the ground starts shifting. We find breaks are a little more prevalent when you have hot, dry conditions.”

Besides the ruptured main on Fourth Street, breaks were reported on three other water lines -- from two inches in diameter to six inches -- over the weekend.

Clark praised the work of OMI’s Mike Blair and Brandon Kepler.

“They work real hard and long hours,” the city official said.