This property has a documented history as a farm and agricultural operation going back to 1946. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations 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.

Carbon tetrachloride contamination here is linked to grain fumigation operations — a use pattern investigators specifically identified at the Cenex Mead Grain Elevator, a named facility a quarter mile from the well site that was operating well before 1986. Occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies issued to grain-handling operators at this specific site during that pre-1986 era covered the kinds of chemical releases now under investigation. With remediation not yet underway, the full cost of cleaning up the carbon tetrachloride plume that forced this municipal water supply offline still lies ahead — and historical carriers whose policies covered the Cenex Mead Grain Elevator's fumigation-era operations may bear an obligation to fund that upcoming 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.