07:09 PM CST on Tuesday, November 29, 2005

By Carolyn Campbell / 11 News and Staff Reports

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He warned them. A Houston man said he called the city to tell them about a destructive problem, but believes his words fell on deaf ears.

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The pressure was so strong it broke the back windshield of Bothe's Mercedes.

Jason Bothe's car was not in a flood, but it certainly looks like it was.

"Even the windows, you couldn't see anything. It was just a wall of water," he said.

Jason Bothe thought there might be trouble when he spotted a water main leak Monday afternoon. So he called the city.

"They said, "Well it's a minor, it would take up to 72 hours to respond,' is what they said. It went on through the night. No one showed up to do anything. And this morning I woke up to do breakfast and it's Niagara Falls outside," Bothe said.

Bothe shared photos with 11 News. It seems the small leak turned into a big one.

He said the water main break sent water 20 feet into the air right outside his home.

"I thought it was a hurricane going on outside," he said. " I look up and water is shooting way over the house. I didn't realize the damages that were done out here [in the street]. There was neglect on their part that they knew that I called twice and no one showed up. And now it took this to get a response. I think that's pretty sad on the city of Houston's part."

The pressure was so strong it broke the back windshield of his Mercedes.

"A poor choice in deeming it a minor incident," Bothe said.

"We always get the bum rap," a Public Works employee said.

But this time it wasn't the city's fault. A private contractor said it was tapping into the city water line for new townhouses.

However, Public Works spokesperson Wes Johnson said the city is responsible for shutting off the water if there's a problem. But that's not simple either.

"We get anywhere between 50 and 60 water main break calls every single day," Johnson said. "If the response you're getting is not satisfactory, ask for a supervisor."

Aside from fixing the problem, Bothe is satisfied because the contractor has agreed to pay for repairs to his car.