This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility going back to 1962. 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 munitions-constituent contamination at this site — RDX, TNT, and DNT — was deposited entirely during ordnance operations conducted between 1962 and 1975, more than a decade before the 1986 threshold at which occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies ceased to provide effective pollution coverage. Federal military operators carried liability insurance during that operational window, and the policies in force at the time of the contaminating events may still be reachable. The site's multi-decade remediation trail — soil excavation and washing, decades of pump-and-treat, biostimulation, and long-term institutional controls projected to extend well into the future — establishes both past expenditures and a substantial forward cost stream that historical carriers may be obligated to address.

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.