This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1924. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property at Legion Way and Adams Street in Olympia hosted two separate automotive service stations: one documented between 1924 and 1947, and a second constructed in 1964, with facilities including three underground storage tanks, two dispenser islands, and a service garage. Cleanup under the Voluntary Cleanup Program commenced in 1990 with in-place UST closure, contaminated soil excavation and off-site disposal at a cost exceeding $14,000, and continued through UST removals in the mid-1990s and again in 2006. In-situ bioremediation was conducted from 2017 to 2018, followed by groundwater monitoring through 2021, with cleanup work still ongoing. 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 gasoline-range and diesel-range petroleum hydrocarbons at this site originated from underground storage tanks — including at least one documented to have held leaded gasoline — installed and operated across a span beginning in the 1920s and running well past the 1964 reconstruction of the station. Occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies issued to operators during the pre-1986 window carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington and remain enforceable today. The documented remediation trail here — in-place closures, multiple UST removals, soil excavation, bioremediation, and years of groundwater monitoring — represents costs that historical carriers may be obligated both to recover and to fund as cleanup continues.
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.
