This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1984. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.
Arrow Metals Corp has operated as a scrap metal recycling facility in Woodinville, processing ferrous and nonferrous scrap — including iron, steel, aluminum, copper, brass, and lead — using industrial equipment such as a baler, mobile cranes, and a shear. A predecessor company, Arrow Metals and Supply, Inc., held operations at the property from July 1984 through November 1988, and a diesel underground storage tank removed in late 1988 indicates fuel storage infrastructure predating that period; a historical gasoline UST was also documented at the site. Contamination from metals and petroleum hydrocarbons tied to these industrial activities is the subject of ongoing monitoring and remediation as the site awaits active cleanup. 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 metals and petroleum-hydrocarbon contamination at this scrap metal recycling site traces to industrial operations and underground storage tanks that were in active use before 1986 — the era when occurrence-based CGL policies in Washington carried no effective pollution exclusion. Predecessor operations by Arrow Metals and Supply, Inc. began in July 1984, placing them squarely within that pre-1986 window, and the site's documented USTs imply installation well prior to that cutoff. As this site moves toward active cleanup, historical carriers who issued CGL policies to operators during that window may bear an obligation to fund the remediation costs ahead.
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.
