This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1963. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This Tacoma property has been in continuous industrial use since at least 1963, when it was operated as Port Waterway Marina, with boat storage, shipbuilding, and marine construction continuing through 1980. Tru-Grit Abrasives, Inc. subsequently operated the facility for the storage, processing, and packaging of granular slag material sold to roofing manufacturers and sandblasters; prior tenants also included Jesse Engineering for steel fabrication and Hemco as a plastics company. Cleanup activities have included sweeping of exposed grit from upland surfaces pursuant to a Water Quality Enforcement Order and stormwater treatment and infiltration at the adjacent TOTE facility since 2011; the Tru-Grit facility currently routes its stormwater to holding tanks connected to an evaporation system. Current operations at the facility consist of grit processing and packaging for resale. 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 contamination at this site — including arsenic from ASARCO slag used in shipyard sandblasting — originated from marine and industrial operations that predated 1986 by more than two decades, and a remedial investigation conducted as early as 1985 confirmed releases reaching the Blair Waterway during the precise window when occurrence-based CGL policies lacked effective pollution exclusions. Carriers who wrote coverage for the operators of this shipyard and abrasives facility during that pre-1986 period may be obligated both to recover the remediation costs already incurred and to fund the cleanup work that lies 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
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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.
