This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1920. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
The Boat Street Marina has operated as a waterfront fueling facility since the 1920s, providing on-water fueling services from a floating marina building equipped with a pump and supported by three confirmed 2,000-gallon underground storage tanks. Petroleum contamination attributed to leakage from those USTs and associated fuel lines prompted a University of Washington-led cleanup under the Voluntary Cleanup Program, which included a 2007 excavation and removal of a source pipe, soil and groundwater sampling, and monitoring well installation. A final cleanup report has been drafted. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
Why Historical Insurance Policies May Be Accessible
Pre-1986 Commercial General Liability (CGL) policies were occurrence-based and did not contain an effective pollution exclusion in Washington. If contamination occurred while those policies were active, those historical insurance carriers may still have a legal obligation to fund the cleanup costs, even if the business closed or the property changed hands.
The petroleum releases at this site trace to underground storage tanks and fuel supply lines that were in active service for decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion. The documented remediation trail — source-pipe excavation, UST-related soil investigation, groundwater sampling, and long-term monitoring — represents costs tied directly to those pre-1986 operations, and cleanup work remains ongoing. Historical CGL carriers who insured the marina or its fuel-dispensing operations during that extended pre-1986 window may be obligated both to recover expenditures already incurred and to fund the work still ahead.
Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful coverage claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage. Restorical then manages the claim, including accounting, to ensure the cleanup is funded in a timely manner.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
