This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.
The University of Washington Power Plant in Seattle — identified in Ecology records as both the "WA UW Power Plant" and "WA UW Plant Operations" — has confirmed soil and groundwater contamination associated with a leaking underground storage tank and historical drywell practices. A drywell closure report was submitted to the Department of Ecology, documenting diesel range hydrocarbons above MTCA Method A soil standards along with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), lead, and arsenic. The site remains listed as Awaiting Cleanup under Washington's Standard 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 contamination source here — a leaking underground storage tank — is strongly indicative of infrastructure installed and operated well before federal UST regulations took effect in the late 1980s, placing the likely operational origin within the era of occurrence-based CGL policies that carried no effective pollution exclusion. Diesel hydrocarbons, PAHs, lead, and arsenic are the signature contaminants of long-duration industrial fuel storage and combustion operations, not a recent discrete release. The investigation and remediation costs this property now faces — designing and executing cleanup for confirmed soil and groundwater contamination — could plausibly be funded by historical carriers whose policies were in force when those pre-1986 operations were underway.
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.
