This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility going back to 1951. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.

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 state park's vehicle maintenance operations date to at least 1978, with underground storage tanks installed in the mid-1980s — placing the facility's contamination-generating activities squarely within the occurrence-based CGL policy era. Carriers who insured the park's operations during that pre-1986 window issued policies without effective pollution exclusions under Washington law. The petroleum and PAH contamination documented in groundwater here traces to those insured operations, and the remediation costs incurred through the Voluntary Cleanup Program represent expenditures those historical policies may be obligated to cover.

Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.