This property has a documented history as a farm and agricultural operation going back to 1959. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This property operated as a farmstead with an underground gasoline storage tank that had been in place for more than thirty years before its removal in late 1989 — placing the installation around 1959. Cleanup under the Voluntary Cleanup Program included excavation of approximately 3,000 to 3,434 cubic yards of petroleum-contaminated soil and on-site groundwater treatment by oil separation and aeration, with active work spanning 1989 to 1991. Ecology issued a No Further Action determination for the site in 1998. The former farmstead is currently operated as a cold storage chicken distribution center. 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 gasoline storage tank at this property was installed roughly three decades before 1986, during the period when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were standard and contained no effective pollution exclusion. Lead detected in soil samples confirms use of leaded gasoline, which was phased out before 1986 — further anchoring the contamination's origin to the pre-exclusion policy window. The documented remediation work — thousands of cubic yards of soil excavation, on-site groundwater treatment, and a multi-year Ecology oversight process culminating in a 1998 NFA — represents cleanup costs tied to releases from that historical farmstead operation, costs the pre-1986 carriers may still be obligated to recover.
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
Ready to learn more?
Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
