This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This lakeside property adjacent to Lake Washington operated as a fuel-dispensing facility under the name Leschi Boat Service, with a 1,000-gallon underground storage tank supplying gasoline likely to the adjoining marina. A 1990 gasoline release from a leaking pipe connected to the UST triggered cleanup under the Voluntary Cleanup Program, which included excavation and offsite disposal of approximately seven cubic yards of petroleum-impacted soil, tank closure, and groundwater monitoring spanning from 1990 through 2001 and again from 2007 to 2008 to confirm compliance with cleanup levels. The property now houses an office and retail complex with restaurants and a marina, and the site has received a No Further Action determination. 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.
Petroleum contamination at this property originated from an underground storage tank that was in service well before the 1990 release was discovered, with additional diesel contamination attributed to unknown historical activities predating construction of the current commercial complex. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued to operators during the pre-1986 window — when fuel dispensing was underway and the UST was accumulating the wear that led to its failure — carried no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law. The documented remediation expenditures across nearly two decades of investigation, soil removal, and groundwater monitoring represent costs that historical carriers who covered the facility during that operational 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.
