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 fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property is believed to have operated as a retail gasoline service station, with two underground storage tanks discovered and removed between 2000 and 2005. Soil sampling confirmed a release of gasoline had occurred at the site, and lead was detected in soil at 8.02 mg/kg — consistent with leaded gasoline use predating its phase-out in the mid-1980s. Cleanup under the Voluntary Cleanup Program has included UST excavation and recycling, contaminated soil removal and backfilling, installation and development of groundwater monitoring wells, and multi-year groundwater monitoring. Cleanup work is ongoing. 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 traces to underground storage tanks that, based on their removal timeline and the presence of leaded gasoline indicators in soil, were almost certainly installed and operated well before 1986. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued during that pre-1986 operational window carried no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law. The documented remediation expenditures — tank removal, soil excavation, well installation, and years of groundwater monitoring — represent costs the historical carriers 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.
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.
