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The former Walker Army Air Field (WAAF) was initially established as a satellite airfield with operations as the 500th Base Headquarters and Air Squadron for the Smoky Hill Army Airfield (aka Schilling Air Force Base) on November 13, 1942. WAAF primarliy served as the 17th Bombardment Operational Training Wing and flew B-29s and B-24s. Reorganization placed Walker in the 248th Operational Training Unit Training School on March 25, 1944.

WAAF was put on inactive status on January 31, 1946 and transferred to the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Portions of the base were leased to a citizen in 1946. In 1949, WAAF was returned to the U.S. Air Force (USAF) and became known as Victoria Auxiliary Field until 1959. The site was sold to the same private citizen in 1959 and and was held by him until 1991. The USAF leased a northeast-southwest runway for bomb cratering studies in 1971. Former structures included hangars, maintenance buildings, above-ground storage tanks (ASTs), warehouses, laboratories, machine shop, hospital, garage, motor pool, paint and dope shop, ordnance storage, chemical weapons storage, and other various structures.

In 1996, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), BTEX, TPH, and metals contamination were identified by USACE at WAAF. USACE installed a new well for watering cattle due to elevated detections of VOCs near a gasoline storage area. KDHE completed an Initial Site Screening (ISS) in May 2001 that recommended further investigation of the site. KDHE completed a Site Reconnaissance and Evaluation (SRE) in 2003. VOCs were confirmed to be present in groundwater. No impacts were observed in offsite residential wells downgradient of the WAAF property. In the SRE, KDHE recommended that USACE conduct further investigation at the site.

In 2010, KDHE conducted a Site Investigation (SI) in search for the source of a carbon tetrachloride (CT) plume in an area within the boundaries of the site. The source was originally thought to be from a grain storage area that was in operation subsequent to the Army’s transfer of the property. However, sample results showed that the plume is not connected to the grain storage area. Instead, it is within the footprint of the Motor Pool that operated during the Army’s occupation of the base from 1942-1946. Witness testimony also indicates that CT was widely utilized at this facility as a degreaser, fire suppressant, as well as many other daily uses during the operation of WAAF. KDHE/BER has concluded that CT groundwater contamination at this site is related to past military activities and the site is therefore eligible for the FUDS program. Thus, in 2011 KDHE requested that USACE reexamine the site. KDHE approved Final Abbreviated Preliminary Assessment (APA) Report in March 2018. USACE plans to submit an Inventory Project Report (INPR) in 2019.

Site not included in current DSMOA 2022-2024 agreement.