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.

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.

Lead detected in groundwater at this site — at levels up to 133 micrograms per liter, well above the 15 microgram cleanup standard — points to the use of leaded gasoline, a product largely phased out before 1986. That link ties the contamination to the facility's pre-1986 fuel-dispensing operations, the period when occurrence-based CGL policies would have been in effect for Shell and its station operators. With remedial soil excavation still ahead and groundwater monitoring ongoing, the cleanup costs this property faces are not yet fully incurred — historical carriers whose policies covered this station's pre-1986 operations may be obligated both to reimburse past investigation and monitoring expenses and to fund the remediation work still to come.

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.