grounding electrode conductors for building and lightning protection

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Rickyghart

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Dallas TX USA
I have a situation that I cannot find a definitive answer to but has me a bit worried. The structure is a 1000 car parking garage with a lightning protection system (LPS) - air terminals, bonding of all metal to a designated electrode conductor. I have not seen a UL label/plaque as yet. There is also a designated building electrode conductor to grounding points in numerous the data, communications, phone and electrical distribution equipment rooms on each floor.
The two grounding electrode conductors share the same path to the ground floor, often in contact with each other along the way down until reaching the ground floor where the two are bonded together.
I am uneasy with this arrangement thinking - perhaps too much - that a lighting strike on the LPS will find its way into electrical equipment before being drained to Earth.
I can find a reference that the actual electrodes must be no closer than 6 feet in 780 and understand the reason for this. However, nothing speaking to a requirement for two electrode conductor being separated.

any thoughts, discussion or code reference is appreciated!
Thanks
 
Someone must have designed the LPS. There should be some kind of design documents available.

In any case, the down conductors connect to the grounding electrode system at some point. I am not real sure I would be all that worried about the down conductor and GEC being in close proximity. I don't know what the code is for such things, but it seems to me that it does not introduce any special danger.

The concept that lightning will be "drained" to earth is pretty much not so. Electricity does not work that way. nothing prevents the lightning from traveling along the down conductor to the GES and then back along the GEC.
 
Thanks Bob. Drained was not a good choice of words. What I am worried about is that the impulse from a lighting strike will find a convenient path into the data/security and electrical system with the close proximity of the EGC's prior to being bonded together downstream.
I may be wasting good worry on this...
 
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