Columbia Gas of Ohio : to Invest $1.5 million in Bowling Green

For Immediate Release
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Contact: Emily Kizer, 419-539-6206; Chris Kozak, 419-539-6043

Columbia Gas of Ohio to Invest $1.5 Million into the Natural Gas Infrastructure in Bowling Green

Project to improve safety and reliability of service to more than 330 customers

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The City of Bowling Green will soon benefit from a $1.5 million upgrade to Columbia Gas of Ohio's natural gas infrastructure.
More than 10,000 feet of natural gas lines will be upgraded, as Columbia Gas installs specially-designed plastic pipe. This upgrade will serve customers for many years to come.

Customers within the project area have been notified via letter and are invited to a community information meeting on Wednesday, January 13 at either 10 a.m. or 7 p.m. at the Wood County Public Library on Main Street. At this time, customers will have the opportunity to ask specific questions of Columbia representatives regarding this work.
Columbia Gas anticipates completing the project by the end of the year at no additional cost to customers.

This project will include portions of East Poe Road, Frazee Avenue, Leroy Avenue, Reed Avenue, Evers Avenue, Prospect Street, Summit Street and Enterprise Street.
Soon, customers will notice preliminary construction work in the neighborhood affected, such as marking the right of way and existing utilities, and the inspection of sewer lines. Next, Columbia Gas employees and contractor Mid-Ohio will install a new main line followed by new service lines to homes and businesses. Natural gas meters located on the inside of the home or business and some located on the outside will then be relocated, depending on the circumstance. Columbia Gas will restore all surfaces effected by our construction to the same or better condition.

This work may require a short interruption of natural gas service. Columbia Gas employees and/or contractors will make personal contact with customers prior to shutting off service and to schedule re-light appointments after work has been completed. All employees and contractors carry identification cards with their name and photograph, and are happy to show it.

The 2016 project follows a 2015 investment of $3.1 million, upgrading more than 25,000 feet of natural gas infrastructure for 600 customers. These projects are part of Columbia's 25-year, $2 billion plan to improve the safety and reliability of our more than 20,000-mile underground natural gas line system.

ABOUT COLUMBIA GAS OF OHIO

Columbia Gas of Ohio delivers clean, affordable and efficient natural gas to approximately 1.4 million customers across the state. With headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, it is the largest natural gas utility in Ohio and one of NiSource's seven regulated utility companies. NiSource (NYSE: NI) is one of the largest fully-regulated utility companies in the United States, serving approximately 3.5 million natural gas customers and 500,000 electric customers across seven states through its local Columbia Gas and NIPSCO brands. More information about Columbia Gas of Ohio and NiSource is available at www.ColumbiaGasOhio.com and www.nisource.com. For information about natural gas safety and what to do if you suspect a gas leak, go to: www.safegasohio.org. ###