This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1966. 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.

The contamination here traces to gasoline operations running from at least 1966, with a documented release reported around 1972 from tanks that remained in service through 1985 — a span falling entirely within the era of occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies. Lead still detected in 2024 groundwater samples is a direct chemical signature of fuel dispensed at this location before leaded gasoline was phased out, confirming a contamination origin that is demonstrably pre-1986 rather than attributable to any recent incident. The cleanup costs now ahead — continued LNAPL recovery, in-situ treatment, and long-term monitoring of a multi-parcel plume — represent expenditures that historical carriers whose policies covered the 1972 release and surrounding operational years may be obligated to fund.

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.