This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1900. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.
The properties along 8th Avenue South have supported continuous industrial activity since the early 1900s, including a sandblasting facility at the end of 8th Avenue South, the former Georgetown Steam Plant Pump Station, and Crowley Marine operations. Extensive artificial filling of the site — using coal, wood, garbage, slag, and industrial and demolition debris — occurred from the 1930s onward, and a bridge on the property was constructed in 1915 and removed in 1937. No remediation has been performed to date; the only cleanup-related activity has been the management and planned disposal of investigation-derived waste generated during a Limited Phase II Environmental Site Assessment. 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 contamination identified at this property — metals, PAHs, PCBs, petroleum hydrocarbons, and PCE — is directly linked to industrial filling practices and manufacturing operations that predate 1986 by several decades. Occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies issued to facility operators during that pre-1986 window carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington and remain enforceable against the historical carriers. With active remediation yet to begin, the investigation, feasibility study, design, and cleanup expenditures that lie ahead could plausibly be funded by those historical policies tied to the contamination's industrial origin.
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.
