Stop that Water!

I woke up early post Thanksgiving Day and wanted to go back to sleep but just couldn't. Next to me was my 4 1/2 year old son taking up most of the space in the bed. I decided to go outside and water the vegetables and other plants I planted a few weeks ago.

My 12 year old son broke our sprinkler a couple weeks ago. I asked him to dig me a vegetable plot. I was planning to reward him with an Xbox 360 game after he dug me a plot. Instead, I heard him yell that he hit a pipe. I went outside and saw that he hit a plastic pipe under the soil. How could he not see this? The other day, I dug a vegetable plot and saw this same pipe and was careful not to hit it and had no problem. Now, I was scurrying around looking for the main water shut-off. My husband found it and turned it off. But, the water from the pipe kept gushing out. What's wrong, where is that water coming from? I called the water company and because it was a Saturday I could only leave a message on the emergency line. Meanwhile, my husband turned off the sprinkler timer which did not help and was looking for something else to turn off. I went to the curbside looking for the water meter or something. I saw a rusty cover and pried it open. There was a handle but I couldn't move it. I looked to the right and saw a green plastic cover on the ground. I was at my wit's end and just opened it and saw a handle. I turned off the handle, and suddenly the water stopped gushing! We were all so happy, the water from the pipe was starting to flood the backyard. A few minutes after this, I received a return phone call from the water company.