This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This property served as the maintenance yard and storage garage facility for the Tacoma Housing Authority's Salishan Housing Development, with two underground storage tanks — a 500-gallon leaded gasoline UST and a 750-gallon unleaded gasoline UST — removed in April 1993. A subsurface investigation in 2006 led to the excavation of approximately 376 tons of petroleum-contaminated soil in 2007, followed by groundwater monitoring well installation and a monitored natural attenuation program with multiple sampling rounds from 2007 through 2009. The site has received a No Further Action determination under the Voluntary Cleanup Program. 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 presence of a leaded gasoline UST at this facility confirms fueling operations that predate 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. The petroleum contamination requiring excavation and years of groundwater monitoring originated from those pre-1986 tank operations — a slow, ongoing release of the type these policies were written to cover. Documented remediation expenditures including tank removal, soil excavation, well installation, and long-term monitoring represent costs that historical carriers on risk during the operational period may be obligated to reimburse.
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
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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.
