This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.
The Tacoma Sportsmen's Club operates pistol and rifle ranges — including a 200-yard and a 600-yard rifle range — across approximately 111 acres of forested land in Pierce County. Investigations have identified high concentrations of lead in the berms and backstops at the ranges, consistent with long-term accumulation of spent shells, wads, and bullet casings. Contamination has migrated off-site, requiring soil removal, groundwater treatment, and provision of public water service to neighboring properties; monitoring wells tied to those off-site plumes are located on the subject property. Best Management Practices for lead management and pH monitoring are ongoing, with recommendations to mine the berms, apply pH buffering compounds, and decommission certain wells — no active cleanup has yet commenced. 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.
Lead accumulation at an outdoor shooting range is a slow, continuous release — precisely the contamination profile that occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies issued before 1986 were written to address, before effective pollution exclusions became standard. With cleanup still awaiting commencement and documented off-site migration already driving soil removal and groundwater treatment on neighboring parcels, the remediation liability here spans multiple properties and multiple remediation phases. Historical CGL carriers whose policies were in force during the decades of pre-1986 range operations may be obligated to fund the investigation, design, and remediation costs that remain ahead.
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
Ready to learn more?
Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
