This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1910. 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.

Seventy-five years of continuous plywood manufacturing at this site — from 1910 through 1985 — fall entirely within the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. The sediment contamination now being addressed in Salmon Bay originated from industrial operations conducted decades before 1986, and remediation of arsenic, lead, mercury, and other metals across a 13.7-acre waterfront property carries substantial cost exposure. Historical carriers who insured the mill's operators during that window may be obligated both to recover past remediation expenditures and to fund the cleanup going forward.

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.