Overview
Lowry was an Air Force technical training center from 1937 to 1994. Flight activities ended in 1965. In many ways, activities at Lowry were similar to other communities of the time. A coal-powered steam plant provided heat, gas stations fueled vehicles, municipal waste was taken to a dump and machine parts were cleaned with solvents. These activities were undertaken according to generally accepted practices then, but they caused environmental issues that must be addressed now.

An environmental program has been underway at Lowry since before the base was closed in 1994. Extensive investigation has been performed, and response actions have been completed where necessary. With agreements signed in November 2005, the entire Lowry AFB property has been approved for transfer by the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE), the Air Force, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Additional investigation and cleanup is planned in some areas of the transferred property. To expedite the remaining work, the Lowry Redevelopment Authority assumed management of the environmental program through privatization, with continued regulatory oversight by CDPHE. The Air Force remains legally and financially responsible for the entire cleanup, in perpetuity. With funds committed in the 2005 agreements, the Air Force will spend more than $110 million on environmental investigation and cleanup at Lowry.

Public involvement on environmental issues will continue to be through the Lowry Restoration Advisory Board, which meets when needed.

For more information, contact Elizabeth Sopher, Lowry Assumption, environmental community relations specialist, at 303-948-4122 or Marilyn Null, CDPHE community relations specialist, at 303-692-3304.

Statement from Colorado Department of Public Health Environment:
At Lowry, most of the environmental areas of concern have been identified, investigated, and are in various phases of cleanup. The Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, along with the cities of Denver and Aurora, and the Environmental Protection Agency, continue to oversee this work.