Titan missile complexes

• The Titan I was one of the first strategic, intercontinental ballistic missiles developed by the United States. The 98-foot-long, two-stage missile was fueled by kerosene (RP-1 fuel) and liquid oxygen, and was designed to carry nuclear warheads.
• There are six former Titan I missile complexes in Colorado.
  • Four (1A, 1B, 1C and 2A) are located on the Former Lowry Bombing and Gunnery Range (FLBGR) east of Aurora.
  • One (2B) is located north of Deer Trail.
  • One (2C) is located south of Elizabeth.
• ​We work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate and clean up the complexes.
• The complexes were decommissioned and the missiles removed in 1965. Public and private owners later acquired the complexes.​

Environmental concerns

• Soil contamination from petroleum chemicals and/or from polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), often associated with electrical equipment and waterproofing paint, has been found at some sites.
• Groundwater contamination from cleaning solvents, such as perchloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE), has also been found at some sites.
• Water from domestic wells near some of the sites has been tested. No contamination above drinking water standards has been found.
• Some silo water samples have elevated levels of PCBs or metals such as zinc and cadmium. The metals may be related to water corrosion of metal structures in the complexes.
• While Titan I missiles were armed with plutonium-based nuclear warheads, we have no evidence of radioactive contamination at the sites. Warhead maintenance occurred at the warhead-manufacturing facilities and not at the sites themselves.
• Investigations at the four complexes on the Former Lowry Bombing and Gunnery Range have found naturally occurring radiation such as uranium, radium and potassium, which are related to the geologic formations at the missile sites. However, no artificial radiation, such as plutonium or americium, has been found.

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