This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property operates as a Shell-branded gasoline facility at 9796 Holman Rd NW in Seattle, with dispenser islands, a convenience store, and underground storage tanks documented on the site plan. Groundwater monitoring data dating to October 1987 already showed significant petroleum contamination, confirming fuel storage and dispensing operations were underway before that date. Cleanup under the Voluntary Cleanup Program has included removal of former USTs — among them a 300-gallon fuel oil tank — abandonment of monitoring well MW-2 AGI in 1989, and ongoing groundwater treatment through recovery wells across multiple monitoring locations. 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.
Petroleum contamination at this site originated from underground storage tanks that were in service prior to 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The documented remediation expenditures — UST removals, monitoring well installation and decommissioning, and years of groundwater recovery and treatment — represent costs that historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the pre-1986 operational window may be obligated to reimburse. With cleanup still underway, those same policies may also be called upon to fund the remaining groundwater monitoring and treatment work.
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.