This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

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 pump station and associated sewer infrastructure at this site were already in existence prior to a 2006 replacement project, and large-scale municipal sewer systems of this type typically span several decades of continuous operation — placing this facility's origins well before 1986. Contamination here has no identified point-source event and is attributed to general industrial activity in the area, the kind of diffuse, ongoing release that occurrence-based CGL policies issued before 1986 were written to cover. As cleanup costs now loom — investigation, remediation design, and eventual treatment — historical carriers whose policies were in force during the infrastructure's pre-1986 operational window may be obligated to fund them.

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.