This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1967. 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.

PCE contamination at this wellfield originated from historic uses and disposal practices that predate 1986 by decades — the City's ownership alone extends back to at least the late 1960s. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued to the dry cleaners and other businesses operating near the wellfield during that pre-1986 window covered exactly this type of gradual subsurface release. The remediation costs already incurred since 1988 — a multi-year pump-and-treat operation, three cycles of Five-Year Review, and NPL-listed cleanup — represent substantial documented expenditures, and with cleanup still underway under the Standard Cleanup Program, historical carriers may be obligated both to reimburse past costs and to fund the ongoing groundwater treatment.

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.