This property has a documented history as an industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1962. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could help fund the ongoing and future cleanup under Oregon DEQ oversight.
This industrial property has been in continuous manufacturing use since 1962, with operations centered on wood finish production and solvent recycling — including a halogenated solvent recycling division that processed PCE, TCE, toluene, and xylene from 1974 to 1983, and nine underground storage tanks installed in the mid-1960s and decommissioned in 1986. Groundwater is heavily contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons and chlorinated solvents (PCE up to 199 µg/L, TCE up to 179 µg/L, cis-1,2-DCE up to 6,100 ppb), and sub-slab vapor intrusion beneath two buildings exceeds chronic risk-based concentrations for both PCE and TCE. Although 118 tons of contaminated soil were excavated in late 2024, Oregon DEQ issued a Further Action Letter in September 2025 directing additional groundwater monitoring well installation, quarterly sampling, indoor air assessment, and further sub-slab vapor evaluation — and the site remains under active DEQ oversight as an assigned cleanup project. That history could support an insurance coverage claim against the carriers who issued policies more than 40 years ago — coverage that could help fund the cleanup ahead.
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 Oregon — and those policies may provide coverage that remains enforceable today. 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 contamination at this property traces directly to solvent recycling operations that processed halogenated solvents from 1974 to 1983 and underground storage tanks installed in the mid-1960s and decommissioned in 1986, within a manufacturing facility operating continuously since 1962. The groundwater monitoring well installation, quarterly sampling, indoor air assessment, and sub-slab vapor evaluation directed by Oregon DEQ's September 2025 Further Action Letter represent substantial ongoing and future cleanup costs that historical pre-1986 carriers may be obligated to fund going forward.
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
The Restorical Proven Process
Stay up to date on environmental property cleanup laws and changes.
Report Email Updates
Request more information on this property
Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.