This property has a documented history as a facility using PFAS-containing firefighting foam going back to 1942. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.

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 AFFF-driven contamination at this site traces directly to fire-training operations conducted decades before 1986, and the formal investigation record opens in September 1984 — placing both the contamination origin and the initial liability record within the coverage window of occurrence-based CGL policies issued to liable parties during that operational period. The documented expenditures across this multi-operable-unit site — excavation, long-term groundwater treatment, vapor extraction, offsite incineration — represent past cleanup costs that historical carriers may be obligated to recover. With performance monitoring and the Five-Year Review process still active, costs continue to accumulate, and those ongoing monitoring obligations are potentially within reach of the same pre-1986 policies alongside the historical tab already incurred.

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.