Bergstrom Air Force Base

Base Background

Bergstrom Air Force Base was established on September 19, 1942, in Travis County outside Austin, Texas, originally as Del Valle Army Air Base. Renamed Bergstrom Army Air Field on March 3, 1943, it became Bergstrom Air Force Base in December 1948 and served as headquarters for Twelfth Air Force starting in 1966, overseeing reconnaissance, fighter, and airlift operations west of the Mississippi River; in its later years it hosted RF-4C Phantom reconnaissance units. The Air Force closed Bergstrom on September 30, 1993, and transferred the property to the City of Austin, who redeveloped it into Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. A small portion of the former base now houses the Austin Armed Forces Reserve Center, home to Texas Army National Guard, Army Reserve, and Navy and Marine Corps Reserve units.

Toxic Exposure at Bergstrom Air Force Base

Bergstrom’s decades as an active Cold War-era flight and maintenance installation left a documented trail of contamination across the property. The Environmental Protection Agency’s federal cleanup records for the site list more than fifty distinct source areas, including fuel spill sites, a fire training area, two chlorinated-solvent plumes, buildings tied to PCB spills, and historic landfills and firing ranges. Personnel, family members, and civilian workers who spent time on base between 1942 and 1993 could have been exposed to any of several confirmed toxins, and cleanup and groundwater monitoring continue at the site today under Air Force and EPA oversight.

PFAS Contamination

Decades of firefighting drills at Bergstrom relied on aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), a source of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) now under review at hundreds of installations the Department of Defense operated or still operates nationwide. The Air Force reports that recent investigations found PFAS in groundwater at the former base above federal limits, though drinking water sources remain protected, and that a comprehensive PFAS investigation continues alongside remediation of munitions-related contamination at former training areas.

As of June 30, 2026, the Department of Defense’s PFAS status tracker shows Bergstrom’s preliminary assessment and site inspection complete, with the more detailed remedial investigation still underway and a Record of Decision projected for September 2034. Find out more about AFFF and compensation for PFAS exposure.

Volatile Organic Compounds (TCE)

EPA’s federal cleanup records for the Bergstrom former base identify two separate groundwater plume areas contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE), a chlorinated solvent used for decades in aircraft and vehicle maintenance work. The Air Force Civil Engineer Center has tracked TCE in groundwater at the base’s Southeast Landfills 3-7 and Solid Waste Management Unit 76 area through an annual monitoring program running since at least 2017.

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)

EPA records document polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at two separate locations on the former base: spill sites at two support facilities and a dedicated PCB storage building. PCBs were widely used in electrical transformers and industrial equipment at military installations through the mid-20th century.

Petroleum Hydrocarbons (JP-4 Jet Fuel)

Bergstrom’s decades as a flight, reconnaissance, and airlift installation also left petroleum hydrocarbon contamination on the property. EPA’s site records include a JP-4 jet fuel spill tied to an overpack tank, along with a separate petroleum, oil, and lubricants storage area, both tracked as distinct source areas requiring cleanup.

Getting Compensation

Anyone who worked, trained, or lived at Bergstrom Air Force Base during its five decades of operation could have absorbed these chemicals with no way of knowing it then, and the resulting health effects often don’t show up until years later. A diagnosis that surfaces decades after service can still trace back to time spent at Bergstrom, and become grounds for a VA disability claim.

Hill & Ponton charts the conditions doctors link to these toxins. Our VA-accredited lawyers bring decades of experience to toxic exposure claims, representing veterans and their survivors alike. Every case is handled on contingency, so there’s no upfront cost. Get in touch for a free evaluation to see where you stand.