This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility going back to 1948. 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.

The contamination at this site — lead in groundwater linked to decades of leaded-gasoline storage, alongside pesticides, solvents, and petroleum hydrocarbons — originated from municipal operations that ran for nearly four decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were still the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. The City of Tumwater's maintenance activities during that pre-1986 window represent precisely the operational history those policies were written to cover. The documented remediation costs — tank removals, soil excavation, monitoring wells, and the ongoing RI/FS — are expenditures that historical carriers may be obligated both to recover and to fund going forward.

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.