A former Superfund site in Missouri has become such an "exemplary ecological success" that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is using it in a case study, the agency announced last month.
The Weldon Spring Site, 30 miles outside St. Louis in St. Charles County, is a former World War II explosives manufacturing and Cold War uranium metals processing facility. After decades of use as a government chemical plant and quarry, the area was placed on the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation,and Liability Act (CERCLA) National Priorities List (NPL) in the late 1980s, according to a DOE fact sheet on the site. Remediation on the site concluded in 2001; DOE’s Office of Legacy Management opened the Weldon Spring Site Interpretive Center to the public in 2002. In October 2020, the site received the EPA’s Federal Facility Excellence in Site Reuse Award.
The EPA case study, titled "Cleanup Enables Creation of Recreation, Ecological Revitalization and Education Hub: Weldon Spring Quarry/Plant/Pits Superfund Site," highlights OLM’s accomplishments in beneficial reuse, calling it a “reuse success story.” The history and cleanup and the OLM's continuing commitment to provide long-term stewardship and public engagement are also included in the study, according to the announcement.
“What makes the Weldon Spring Site a success story is that the site went from processing uranium ore and other wartime material to supporting conservation efforts," Kris Holmes, a public affairs specialist with the OLM, said in the announcement, "restoring the native plant life, and offering exhibits, programs, and tours to thousands of students and community members every year, from topics that range from restoration, cleanup, and the history of Weldon Spring, to deeper environmental discussions such as pollution remediation and prevention."
Returning contaminated sites into natural areas for use by surrounding communities is a "major goal" of the Superfund program, according to Jim Gulliforn, EPA Region 7 administrator. In addition to the historical and scientific educational opportunities at the interpretive center, visitors can hike nature trails, tour gardens and explore the 150-acre Howell Prairie, the announcement states.
“With the site’s many ecological beauties, thriving wildlife, and several hiking and biking trails running through the property, it is hard to imagine it was once the site of significant contamination and industrial buildings from the WWII and Cold War eras,” Holmes said.
