Fort Devens

Base Background

Fort Devens was established in 1917 as Camp Devens, a training cantonment for soldiers headed to combat in World War I, and became a permanent Army post under its current name in 1931. The post spanned parts of Ayer, Shirley, Harvard, and Lancaster, Massachusetts, and served through World War II and the Cold War as a major training, logistics, and reserve-component installation. The Army closed Fort Devens under the Base Realignment and Closure process on March 31, 1996, after 79 years of continuous use. The smaller Devens Reserve Forces Training Area opened on part of the original footprint the following day and continues to host Army Reserve and National Guard training today, while most of the former post became the Devens civilian redevelopment zone.

Toxic Exposure at Fort Devens

The Environmental Protection Agency placed Fort Devens on its National Priorities List in 1989 after decades of landfill disposal, fuel and solvent spills, pesticide use, and firefighting-foam use left documented contamination across more than a dozen distinct study areas on the former post. Cleanup work has extended to municipal and private drinking water wells in the surrounding towns, and several sites remain under active investigation or remediation today.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

Solvents including tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE), along with benzene, chlorobenzene, carbon tetrachloride, and related compounds, contaminated soil and groundwater at Shepley’s Hill Landfill and the former Moore Army Airfield. A PCE spill at the airfield produced a groundwater plume that covered more than 15 acres when first delineated in 2004; ongoing treatment has since reduced it, but monitoring continues.

Arsenic and Heavy Metals

Arsenic, lead, chromium, cadmium, manganese, antimony, and beryllium, among other metals, are documented in soil and groundwater at Shepley’s Hill Landfill and the Devens Consolidation Landfill. Sediment sampling at Plow Shop Pond and nearby Red Cove separately identified arsenic contamination tied to the base’s historical industrial activity.

PCB, TPH and PAH

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), including the specific formulation Aroclor 1260, were documented near Lower Cold Spring Brook and at the former Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office yard, where petroleum and solvent handling also occurred. Total petroleum hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, including naphthalene, pyrene, and benzo(a)pyrene, were found at the Barnum Road maintenance yards, tied to decades of vehicle and equipment servicing there.

Pesticides

Aldrin, chlordane, DDT, and dieldrin, all persistent chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides, were applied beneath the foundations of former base housing in the 1960s to control termites. These chemicals remain in soil for decades after application.

PFAS Contamination

The Army began investigating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at Fort Devens in 2016 after reviewing its historical use of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) in firefighting training, then expanded to a site-wide remedial investigation in 2018 covering soil, groundwater, surface water, and both municipal and private drinking water wells. That investigation is ongoing, with a June 2026 Department of Defense status update putting the projected completion date at 2041.

Those who lived, worked, or served at Fort Devens before its 1996 closure were potentially exposed to some combination of these chemicals, and the health effects of that exposure can take years or decades to appear. If you developed a medical condition related to toxic exposure after living or working at or near Fort Devens, our VA disability lawyers may be able to help you obtain compensation. Get a free case evaluation to explore your legal options.