This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility going back to 1972. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This property has served as a Kitsap County Department of Public Works maintenance shop and equipment storage facility for more than 50 years, with operations predating 1972. Gasoline, diesel, and heavy oil contamination from former and existing underground storage tanks was first identified in 1996, prompting cleanup under the Voluntary Cleanup Program that included soil excavation and disposal in 1997, installation of pavement caps as engineering controls, and surface water monitoring from 1997 through 2000. Periodic five-year reviews followed, and a restrictive covenant remained in place until its termination in 2025; the site has achieved No Further Action status. 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.
Petroleum contamination at this facility originated from underground storage tanks that fueled county maintenance operations for decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the prevailing standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. The documented remediation expenditures — soil excavation, engineered caps, years of surface water monitoring, and recurring five-year reviews spanning nearly three decades — represent cleanup costs tied directly to those pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the facility's early operational window may still be obligated to recover those costs on behalf of the county.
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.
