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 arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and lead contamination documented at this site traces to industrial operations and smelter-era fallout that predate 1986 — the year occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies began incorporating effective pollution exclusions in Washington. Historical CGL carriers who issued policies to Kolstrand Supply or prior property operators during that pre-1986 window may remain obligated to fund the documented remediation costs, including the 2009 excavation, ongoing groundwater monitoring, and any additional remedial action the outstanding arsenic sampling may require. The property's confirmed position within the Tacoma Smelter Plume provides an unusually traceable contamination origin, tightening the evidentiary link between the pre-1986 operational period and the insurance coverage in force at the time.

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.