In recent years, Atlanta Gas Light has led aggressive cleanup and restoration efforts at our former Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) sites in Georgia. These sites are remnants from the early days of Georgia's industrial history. From the 1830s to the 1950s, before natural gas was widely available, manufactured gas was the main source of fuel for street lamps and homes in many communities. Those plants were marvels of technology, even by today's standards, but their operations have left byproducts and residues at the sites that must be cleaned up under today's environmental standards.

Atlanta Gas Light's program has involved nine of our former MGP sites in Georgia: in Athens, Augusta, Brunswick, Griffin, Macon, Rome, Savannah, Valdosta, and Waycross. We also are responsible for cleanup efforts at Florida sites in St. Augustine, Sanford, and Orlando, which are governed by the U.S. EPA.

Learn more about Atlanta Gas Light's remediation of its former MGP sites by exploring this interactive map >

Public Health Factors
The former MGP sites present no significant threat to human health or the environment. Most of the byproduct materials are located below the ground surface where contact is unlikely. Drinking-water wells near the sites have not been affected. We will continue to monitor and test groundwater thereafter according to each site's respective approved program. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) has supervised the cleanups and assured that they meet state requirements.

Cleanup Process & Outlook 
We worked with several communities to restore the sites to historic and productive urban uses. Investigations were undertaken, cleanups were designed, and those designs approved by EPD and local residents and communities at all of the Georgia sites.

Several of the sites are now part of the Georgia EPD’s Brownfields Program and were among the first sites to be qualified for inclusion under state law.  More than $200 million in economic revitalization and impact has been stimulated by the remediation of these sites.

Atlanta Gas Light's top priority is to ensure the health and safety of our communities. Our aggressive MGP cleanup program is a reflection of this commitment. 

Learn more about Atlanta Gas Light's remediation of its former MGP sites by exploring this interactive map >