This property has a documented history as a landfill going back to 1930. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
The Northside Landfill has been operated by the City of Spokane since the 1930s, beginning as an open burning facility and transitioning through the 1960s to area-fill and shallow excavation methods before settling into soil-cover landfilling — a practice that continues today. Remediation at the site includes installation of a polyethylene-lined landfill cap with granular cover and topsoil, an active landfill gas management system, and a groundwater pumping and treating system, with the overall project estimated to cost between $30 and $38 million. Alternative water service was also extended to 50 homes affected by groundwater contamination. The site has reached cleanup completion and remains under long-term operation, maintenance, and 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.
Leachate and volatile organic compound contamination at this property traces directly to municipal waste disposal operations that began in the 1930s — decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion. EPA surveys in 1980 and 1984 and early groundwater detections in 1982–1983 establish that contamination was occurring well within the pre-1986 policy window. With a documented remediation cost estimate of $30 to $38 million plus ongoing O&M obligations, the scope of potential historical carrier liability here is among the larger profiles in the Ecology inventory.
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.
