This property has a documented history as a property with a heating oil tank going back to 1964. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.
This Olympia property operated as a paint store from approximately 1923 through 2000, with a 1,000-gallon underground storage tank installed on-site in 1964 — used initially for heating oil and later repurposed for mineral spirits (paint thinner) — before being closed in place in 1996. Site investigation has confirmed petroleum hydrocarbon contamination (TPH-D and TPH-G) in the subsurface and groundwater, with groundwater concentrations in 2000 documented at several orders of magnitude above current readings, consistent with a historic release and ongoing natural attenuation. No active cleanup has commenced; future remediation under the Standard Cleanup program may include in-situ groundwater injections, monitored natural attenuation, institutional controls, and long-term monitoring. 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 underground storage tank at this property was installed in 1964 and in active service for decades before 1986 — the year occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies lost their effective pollution coverage in Washington State. Ecology's own investigation confirms the contamination stems from a historic release, not a recent one, placing the triggering event squarely within the window when pre-1986 CGL policies were written and in force. The cleanup costs the property owner now faces — in-situ injections, long-term monitoring, institutional controls — could plausibly be funded by historical carriers whose policies covered the operators of this tank during its active decades.
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.
