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.
This property operated as a Shell gasoline service station with five underground storage tanks and associated fuel-dispensing infrastructure. In 1993, WSDOT removed the five USTs and piping, along with approximately 60 cubic yards of contaminated soil; additional soil excavation and land-farming bioremediation followed. Multi-year groundwater monitoring from 1994 through 2002 tracked contaminant levels across the site before monitoring wells were decommissioned, confirming a completed remedial action under the Voluntary Cleanup Program. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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 and lead contamination at this property originated from gasoline storage and dispensing operations that predate 1986 — the presence of lead in both soil and groundwater is a definitive marker of leaded-gasoline-era operations. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued to the operators during that pre-1986 window carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington and remain enforceable today. The documented remediation expenditures — tank and piping removal, soil excavation, bioremediation, and nearly a decade of groundwater monitoring — represent costs the historical carriers may be obligated to recover and to fund for any remaining cleanup obligations.
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.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
