5 degrees too much for the pipes at Oconee airport

Remediation of the insides of the Oconee Regional Airport terminal has begun — following the burst of water pipes during the hard freeze Christmas week.  Amanda Brock, county administrator, said she received a report from Jeff Garrison, the airport manager, that the copper piping simply couldn’t take temperatures that fell to as low as 5 degrees across the county.  After Garrison walked into the building, he saw an 1.5″ of water on the floor.  That’s when, Brock said, the county government got the cleanup started.  The county airport terminal, sort of an introduction for visiting flyers and their passengers to both Oconee and Clemson University nearby, is just one of a number of buildings and homes whose owners have learned reluctantly about the dangers in freezes and the power of water.