This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station predating 1986. 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 petroleum contamination here traces to a retail gasoline station that was operating before Interstate 5 was constructed through this corridor — meaning the source operation, and its associated CGL coverage, predates 1986. Costs already expended at this site — investigation, sampling, and investigation-derived waste disposal — represent documented remediation expenditures that historical carriers who issued CGL policies to the gasoline operator during that window may be obligated to recover. As excavation and stream-grading work continue under the fish passage project, those same pre-1986 policies may also fund the remediation still 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.