This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility going back to 1942. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
The OW057 oil water separator at Fairchild Air Force Base was sited alongside a flightline aircraft hangar, receiving used fuel, petroleum products, lubricants, and detergents from base maintenance operations. In 1995, the separator and 112 tons of petroleum-contaminated soil were excavated and removed; investigation-derived wastewater was treated through an air stripping system, and impacted soil and waste PPE were disposed of at permitted landfills. Trichloroethylene contamination in the site's groundwater is being addressed under the base-wide SS039 remediation program, which remains ongoing. 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.
Fairchild AFB was established in 1942, and the OW057 separator served fuel and lubricant handling operations across the full span of the pre-1986 era — precisely the period when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies contained no effective pollution exclusion. The documented remediation work — separator excavation, removal of 112 tons of impacted soil, air stripping treatment of wastewater, landfill disposal, and participation in a continuing base-wide TCE groundwater remedy — represents cleanup expenditures traceable to those decades of pre-1986 maintenance operations. Historical CGL carriers whose policies covered Fairchild's contractors or operators during that window may still be obligated to recover a share of those costs.
Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.
Recovering Costs from an Older Cleanup
If this site reached No Further Action years ago, the original cleanup expenditures may be difficult to reconstruct. Restorical's forensic accounting team specializes in re-establishing and documenting past cleanup costs — even decades later — to build the strongest possible basis for an insurance recovery claim.
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
Ready to learn more?
Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
