This property has a documented history as a landfill going back to 1960. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property operated as a general waste disposal site — known as the "Swamp Dump" — from 1960 to 1976, serving Geiger Field and the Washington Air National Guard; it also functioned as a firefighting training site during that period. Contaminants including petroleum, solvents, and metals were deposited during those years of landfill use, and a nearby water well was documented as contaminated as early as 1975. Cleanup activities under the Installation Restoration Program have included excavation and removal of a waste oil UST and vault, a Phase I Remedial Investigation conducted from 1996 through 1997, a groundwater monitoring program in 1998–1999, and planned Phase II remedial investigation and feasibility study work. An adjacent facility has also employed thermal desorption to remediate contaminated soils. 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.
All waste disposal and firefighting-training operations at this site occurred between 1960 and 1976 — entirely within the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The petroleum, solvent, and metal contamination documented in soil and groundwater here is the direct product of those pre-1986 activities, as Ecology's own records tie the contamination explicitly to the "old dump" operations. The multi-phase remediation costs incurred under the Installation Restoration Program — UST removal, investigative drilling, groundwater monitoring, and forthcoming cleanup design — represent expenditures that historical carriers whose policies were in effect during the 1960–1976 operational window may be obligated both to recover and to fund going forward.
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.
