This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility predating 1986. 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 1981 PCP spill and the wood-treating operations that caused it fall squarely within the period when the facility's pre-1986 CGL carriers were actively writing coverage for this site. The pressure retort installed in 1982 and the pentachlorophenol-based treating processes it supported were operating liabilities underwritten before pollution exclusions became standard in commercial policies. Documented cleanup expenditures here — soil excavation, treatment system installation, stormwater pond construction, and multi-year characterization — are directly traceable to that pre-1986 operational record, and historical carriers who covered the facility during those years may be obligated to fund them.

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.