This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility going back to 1975. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This property was formerly operated by Pierce County Fire District No. 5, which maintained a 3,000-gallon gasoline underground storage tank and a 350-gallon heating oil UST at the facility. The tanks were installed in the mid-1970s and had not been used since approximately 1980. Cleanup under the Voluntary Cleanup Program included excavation and off-site disposal of the gasoline UST in June 1991, while the heating oil tank was closed in place and filled with sand. 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.
The petroleum contamination at this property originated from underground storage tanks installed and operated in the mid-1970s — well within the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. Lead detected in soil samples associated with the gasoline UST corroborates pre-1986 operations, consistent with the leaded-gasoline era. The documented remediation costs — tank removal, excavation, off-site disposal, and in-place closure — were incurred to address releases tied directly to that mid-1970s operational window, and historical carriers who issued CGL policies during that period may still be obligated to cover those expenditures.
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.