About Weldon Spring Disposal Cell
A broad stone-covered mound rises above restored prairie west of St. Louis. The Weldon Spring Disposal Cell is an engineered structure built to contain waste from a former uranium processing plant and nearby cleanup areas. Completed in 2001, it covers 41 acres, rises about 75 feet, and holds roughly 1.48 million cubic yards of material.
The unusual feature is that visitors can climb a public stairway to a viewing platform on top. From there, the landscape of trails and prairie contrasts with the site’s industrial history. Interpretive exhibits nearby explain the World War II explosives works, the later Cold War plant, the cleanup, and the monitoring that continues today.
The U.S. Department of Energy maintains the site for long-term stewardship. The cell and outdoor trails are free to visit during daylight hours; the interpretive center has set daytime hours and closes on some holidays. Stay on designated routes. A visit makes a complicated environmental history visible at a scale that is hard to imagine from documents alone.