Aiken water system suffers two major leaks after Christmas blast of cold air

Matthew Christian, Aiken Standard, S.C.
·1 min read

Dec. 26—The blast of arctic air that hit the Central Savannah River Area over the weekend brought water leaks to Aiken's water system.

Aiken City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh said there were two major leaks attributable to the cold weather. He said the most pressing leak was the water line serving the Messier Industrial Gas Products plant on Airco Boulevard just off of the Charleston Highway (US 78) and the other leak was located near the intersection of York Street (US 1), Rutland Drive and the Rudy Mason Parkway.

Mary Tilton, director of operations for the city, said no residents have been affected by the leaks.

A repair crew was on scene of the Airco Boulevard leak around noon Monday. They were making plans to provide the plant with water while they shutoff the leaking line for repair.

Bedenbaugh said crews were planning to repair the other leak Monday afternoon.

He added as the weather warms up there's much less danger of broken pipes leading to leaks. Bedenbaugh said the best advice is for people to leave their faucets dripping when the temperature drops well below freezing as it did Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

The city is asking that any leaks observed on the roadways or other areas and not at a personal residence or business be reported to as soon as possible. The phone number to report is 803-642-7629.