Iowa City has experienced a record number of water-main breaks in the past year, and officials attribute this to last summer’s drought.

According to a city of Iowa City press release, before last year’s drought, the previous high number of breaks in one month was five. However from May 2012 until February, city officials have been called to repair 78 water-main breaks, the release said.

Jude Moss, an employee in the Water Service Division, said cold temperatures could make the issue worse. According to the release, once a break is identified, maintenance officials respond to the area to make repairs and restore water service — a process that can take up to four hours or longer.