This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1948. 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.

Petroleum and lead contamination at this site originated from underground storage tanks installed and operated continuously from the late 1940s through at least the early 1970s — decades before the 1986 threshold when occurrence-based CGL policies ceased reliably covering pollution claims. The presence of total lead in soil and groundwater confirms releases from the era of leaded gasoline, tying the contamination directly to pre-1986 operations. More than fifteen years of documented remediation expenditures — tank removals, soil excavation, chemical injections, and long-term monitoring — represent costs that historical carriers may be obligated to reimburse and to continue funding as cleanup proceeds.

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.