This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1920. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This property has been in industrial use since circa 1920, originally operating as the Valley Evaporating Co. fruit dehydrating facility through approximately 1950. Two 20,000-gallon underground storage tanks containing Bunker C fuel oil — likely installed during World War II to supply the dehydration process — were discovered in 1999 when heavy equipment fell into the deteriorated tanks. Cleanup under the Voluntary Cleanup Program included excavation and removal of three underground storage tanks and approximately 4,200 cubic yards of contaminated soil, followed by groundwater monitoring, free product skimming, and natural bioremediation, ultimately resulting in a No Further Action determination. 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 Bunker C fuel oil contamination at this site originated from underground storage tanks installed as early as the 1940s to fuel industrial dehydrating operations — decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion. The documented remediation costs — large-scale tank removal, excavation of over 4,200 cubic yards of soil, years of groundwater monitoring and product recovery — were incurred to address releases tied directly to those pre-1986 industrial operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the facility's operating years may still be obligated to recover those cleanup expenditures.
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.
