This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This property served as the Washington Army National Guard's Watercraft Support, Maintenance, and Training Complex in Tacoma, with operations predating 1986 — an underground storage tank removed in 1996 is estimated to have been installed around 1971, and a portion of the land was conveyed as early as 1976. Cleanup under the Standard Cleanup program included excavation of 1,100 cubic yards of contaminated soil and sediments, UST removal, extensive capping with geotextile material and clean backfill, and long-term groundwater and cap-surface monitoring. A 1996 Quitclaim Deed included a CERCLA warranty acknowledging historical storage, release, or disposal of arsenic and lead on the property, and the site has since achieved No Further Action status. 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.
Arsenic and lead contamination at this site originated from decades of military maintenance and watercraft-support operations that were well underway before 1986. Occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies issued during that operational window carried no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law and remain enforceable today. The documented remediation expenditures — soil and sediment excavation, tank removal, engineered capping, institutional controls, and years of groundwater monitoring — represent cleanup costs that historical carriers who covered the facility during the contamination period may still be obligated to reimburse.
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
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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.
