This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility going back to 1970. 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 fuel storage tanks at this fire station were installed in the early 1970s — well within the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Contamination from those tanks, discovered when they failed testing in the early 1990s, represents exactly the kind of long-duration release that pre-1986 CGL policies were structured to cover. The documented remediation expenditures — tank removal, large-scale soil excavation and treatment, groundwater recovery — are costs that historical carriers who insured the city's operations during the 1970s and early 1980s may be obligated both to reimburse and to fund as cleanup continues.

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.