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Luminous Processes
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
McDonald's restaurant on the former Luminous Processes site.
- Additional Site Photos
- Site Video
Additional Resources
- Site Cleanup Terms - can be found in EPA's glossary
- EPA Guides to Cleanup Technologies
- Superfund Community Involvement (PDF) (17 pp, 130K, About PDF)
Site Summary Profile
EPA ID: GAD990855819Location: Athens, Clarke County, GA
Lat/Long: 33.940280, -083.471950
Congressional District: 11
NPL Status: Proposed: 10/23/81; Deleted before Final
Affected Media: Soil
Cleanup Status: Deleted from the NPL - physical cleanup activities have been completed
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: In commercial reuse
Site Manager: Charles King (king.charlesl@epa.gov)
Site Background
The Luminous Processes site is a 1-acre site located in Clarke County, Georgia approximately four miles west of downtown Athens, Georgia, on U.S. Highway 78/29. Adjacent property consists of commercial business firms and residences.
Luminous Processes, Inc. operated a manufacturing facility at the site from 1952 to 1978, during which radioactive isotopes were used to paint watch and clock dials. The owners abandoned the site in 1980, leaving behind a contaminated building and radioactive soil.
The site was licensed by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and the Georgia Department of Health (now the Department of Human Resources). Due to financial problems, the owners never completed decontamination when the plant closed. EPA proposed the site for the National Priorities List (NPL) in October 1981. Site cleanup was completed in 1982. Today, a McDonald's restaurant occupies the site.
Threats and Contaminants
Primary contaminants were Radium 226 and Tritium (H-3). There was no evidence of surface water or ground water contamination from the site.
Site Cleanup Plan
Because of cleanup actions conducted in 1982 led by the State of Georgia (see below), no long-term site cleanup plan was developed for the site.
Cleanup Progress
Site cleanup began in mid-1982. State contractors excavated approximately 18,000 cubic feet of contaminated soil, shipped off more than 2,400 drums, and disposed nearly 500 millicuries of radium-226. They backfilled excavated areas with clean fill, seeded them with grass, and closed them from access to the public with fencing and warning signs. Contamination was removed from structures inside the on-site building and outdoors around the building.
The entire cleanup was completed in five months by December 1982. After EPA, in consultation with the State, determined that all appropriate Superfund-financed cleanup action under the Superfund law had been implemented, and that no further cleanup action by responsible parties was appropriate, the site was deleted before it was finalized on the NPL.
Site cleanup activities were led by the State under a cooperative agreement with EPA.Enforcement Activities
In 1981, the State filed suit in Superior Court against the defunct company, Luminous Processes.
In 1984, several federal enforcement actions were completed, including a Consent Decree.
Community Involvement
EPA conducted a range of community involvement activities at the Luminous Processes site to solicit community input and to ensure that the public remains informed about site activities throughout the site cleanup process.
Future Work
No additional work is expected at the site. Five-Year Reviews are not required for the site.
Site Administrative Documents
Site Repository
For more information or to view any site-related documents, please visit the site information repository at the following location. As new documents are generated, they will be placed in the information repository for public information.
For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.