Atlanta Gas Light Company and the Utilities Protection Center of Georgia will sponsor a one-day meeting designed to address the issue of damage to underground facilities in the booming metro Atlanta area. "Digging for Solutions: A Summit on Directional Drilling" will take place December 4 at the Evergreen Conference Center at Stone Mountain Park. Meeting participants will include representatives from all sides of the issue: excavators, locators, utilities, local government and regulatory agencies.

"The network of underground gas pipelines, telecommunication cables, electric and water lines are essential services that must be protected," said Rick Lonn, Chief Engineer, Atlanta Gas Light Company. "The objective of the meeting is to bring the full spectrum of participants together to develop collaborative solutions and best practices that will protect the underground infrastructure."

As the metro Atlanta area grows, so does the number of damages to gas, water, electric and telecommunication lines. Underground facility damages in metro Atlanta will exceed 10,000 incidents this year, according to the Utilities Protection Center.

"It is a shared responsibility to improve damage protection practices," Lonn said. "This meeting is a first step in managing the issue."

Georgia Public Service Commissioner David L. Burgess is scheduled to address the attendees. The agenda includes presentations from the Utilities Protection Center and the National Association of Trenchless Technology. Work sessions designed to develop solutions are planned for the afternoon.

Atlanta Gas Light Company is the largest natural gas distributor in the Southeast and provides delivery service to more than 1.8 million customers in Georgia, Chattanooga, Tennessee and the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. It also is the primary subsidiary of AGL Resources , a regional energy holding company with operations throughout the Southeast. Although natural gas distribution is AGL Resources' core business, it also is engaged in other energy-related businesses, including retail energy marketing, retail and wholesale propane sales and customer care services for energy marketers. The company's home page address on the Internet is www.AtlantaGasLight.com .

SOURCE: Atlanta Gas Light Company