Westover Air Reserve Base

Westover Air Reserve Base is an Air Force Reserve installation located in Chicopee and Ludlow, in Hampden County, Massachusetts, near the city of Springfield. The facility was constructed in 1939 as Westover Field in anticipation of World War II and has served a variety of military aviation roles over the decades. Today it operates as an airlift installation, and its host unit, the 439th Airlift Wing, flies the C-5M Super Galaxy under the Air Force Reserve Command. The base covers roughly 2,500 acres and supports several thousand military and civilian personnel.

Like many long-operating military airfields, Westover has a history of activities that have raised concerns about potential environmental contamination. Firefighting training and emergency response at the base involved materials that have since been associated with persistent chemical residues in soil and groundwater. The following contaminants have been documented in connection with the installation.

1. AFFF (aqueous film-forming foam) is a firefighting foam developed to suppress fuel fires of the kind common at airfields. The Air Force is reported to have used AFFF at Westover beginning in the 1970s, including during firefighting training, and this use is regarded as the primary source of the chemical contamination identified at the base. AFFF formulations contained fluorinated compounds that do not break down readily, and their release has been associated with long-term contamination of the surrounding environment.
2. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a large family of synthetic chemicals used in AFFF and many other products. Testing at Westover has reported PFAS concentrations in soil well above federal advisory levels, reflecting decades of foam use. PFAS are often described as persistent in the environment and in the human body, and exposure to certain PFAS has been associated in some studies with a range of potential health effects, though findings continue to be studied.
3. PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) is one of the individual PFAS compounds historically present in older AFFF formulations used at military sites such as Westover. PFOS has been among the compounds of focus in regional groundwater and exposure studies, and concerns about potential exposure have prompted continued monitoring and research.
4. PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) is another individual PFAS compound that has appeared among the substances associated with AFFF-related contamination in Hampden County. PFOA has been the subject of ongoing health research, and the concern relates to potential exposure through affected groundwater and drinking water sources.

Westover is not listed on the National Priorities List (Superfund). The Department of Defense addresses releases of PFAS and other contaminants at the base under the federal cleanup framework established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, working in coordination with the Environmental Protection Agency and Massachusetts state agencies. Cleanup at Westover remains ongoing, and reporting indicates that remediation timelines for the site have been extended as part of a broader national slowdown. Separately, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry conducted a PFAS exposure assessment in Hampden County focused on communities near the nearby Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield, part of the same county as Westover.

Veterans, family members, and others who lived or worked at Westover Air Reserve Base may wish to stay informed as investigation and cleanup efforts continue. Anyone with questions about possible exposure or related health concerns is encouraged to speak with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and a personal healthcare provider, who can offer guidance based on individual circumstances.