This property has a documented history as a farm and agricultural operation predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This Burlington property served as agricultural land where organochlorine pesticides — including DDT, DDE, DDD, Dieldrin, Endrin, Aldrin, and Endrin-ketone — were applied, compounds that were largely banned in the United States by the 1970s. The site has since been developed as the Raspberry Ridge Apartments, a 50-unit rural farmworker housing project, but pesticide contamination persists in soil, groundwater, and surface water. Remediation under the Voluntary Cleanup Program has included multi-year soil and groundwater monitoring and general cut/fill earthwork; Ecology has determined these actions insufficient, and further cleanup remains necessary. 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 organochlorine pesticides found at this site — DDT, Dieldrin, Aldrin, and related compounds — were prohibited for most uses in the U.S. by the 1970s, placing their application at least a decade before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still lacked effective pollution exclusions. Contamination spans three media — soil, groundwater, and surface water — and Ecology's finding that remediation to date is inadequate means significant costs lie ahead in addition to those already incurred. Historical carriers whose CGL policies covered agricultural operations at this property may be obligated both to recover past remediation expenditures and to fund the cleanup work that remains.
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.
