This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This property served as the Issaquah Police Station, where underground storage tanks for heating oil and diesel fuel went undiscovered until demolition and construction work began in 1997. Both USTs were removed that year, followed by overexcavation and off-site disposal of approximately 870 tons of petroleum-contaminated soil. Three groundwater monitoring wells and a perforated pipe were installed, with groundwater monitoring conducted through 1997 and 1998. Ecology issued a No Further Action determination in 2005, closing the Standard Cleanup project. 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.
Leaded gasoline — a fuel type phased out before 1986 — is documented among the contaminants at this site, establishing that the USTs were in active use well before that threshold year. Occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies issued to the municipal operators during that pre-1986 window carried no effective pollution exclusion and remain enforceable today. The remediation expenditures tied to those historical operations — tank removals, excavation of nearly 900 tons of impacted soil, monitoring well installation, and multi-year groundwater surveillance — represent costs that historical carriers may still be obligated to recover.
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.
