This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility going back to 1977. 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.

Wood power pole storage operations at this site were underway for at least nine years before 1986, and the contamination — cPAHs, PCP, and dioxins/furans — resulted from the slow, continuous leaching inherent to that use, not a discrete accident. That gradual-release profile is exactly what occurrence-based CGL policies in effect before 1986 were written to cover, before effective pollution exclusions became standard. The documented remediation costs already incurred here — soil excavation, archaeological monitoring, site restoration, and ongoing groundwater monitoring — represent expenditures that historical carriers who issued policies to Mason County PUD No. 1 during that pre-1986 operational window may be obligated to fund.

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.