Atlanta Gas Light Co. (AGLC) has seen a 25% drop in third party damage to its gas pipelines over the past two years thanks to a program it installed in 1999. The damage prevention program has led to greater awareness by contractors and others of the need to protect AGLC’s 55,584 miles of pipe in Georgia.

Before the program was implemented, company officials had seen a growing number of incidents annually that mirrored metro Atlanta’s increased growth-related construction. AGLC decided to form a new department with seven damage prevention specialists to educate state and local officials, underground facility locating services, building contractors and other excavators about locating pipelines before excavation begins. The specialists were told to be on hand in case problems arose during construction projects.

AGLC said the new team produced a 25.1% drop in third party damages for January-March 2002 compared to the same period in 2001. Third-party damages from contractors and other excavators went from 1,189 incidents in the first quarter of 2001 to 891 in the same quarter of 2002, a decline of 298 incidents. Over the past two years, the program has produced declines each quarter save one, reducing damages overall by 25.3% or 1,764 incidents.

The Georgia Utility Facility Protection Act requires that contractors, homeowners and anyone who uses mechanical digging equipment contact the Georgia Utility Protection Center to have underground utility lines located and marked before excavation begins. In 2001, AGLC performed in excess of 750,000 of these services at a cost of more than $12 million to the company. Despite the service, which is free to excavators, there were 5,500 damage incidents in 2001 caused by third party digging.

According to J. Terry McCready, AGLC’s director of damage prevention, more than 40% of the incidents occur when excavators do not request the locating service, which is required by law. Excavator error is the culprit more than 40% of the time when the pipes are marked correctly. Less than 20% of the damage incidents are locator error.

“Many of the contractors think that hitting a small pipe will not cause much damage, but that’s not true,” said Colleen Heflin, who manages the AGLC damage prevention specialists. “The small pipes, which are called ‘services,’ lead to homes, businesses and other end users. Almost 80% of the damage incidents are to service pipes.”

AGLC is a subsidiary of AGL Resources, as is Virginia Natural Gas and Chattanooga Gas Co. The three subsidiaries serve two million natural gas customers.

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