This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility going back to 1920. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.
This property has served as transportation infrastructure since the 1920s, connecting Portland Avenue East to a bridge over the Puyallup River in Tacoma. During pre-construction soil sampling in 2019, chromium and carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (cPAHs) were discovered in site soils — contaminants consistent with historical fill material used in road and ramp construction of that era. Groundwater contamination by both chromium and cPAHs is suspected but has not yet been sampled, and the Puyallup River lies approximately 1,000 feet to the northeast as a potential receptor. The site is now in the Standard Cleanup program and awaiting remediation. 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 at Portland Ave Ramp B traces to fill material and infrastructure use dating to the 1920s — more than six decades before the 1986 watershed in Commercial General Liability policy language. Chromium and cPAH contamination of this vintage, discovered in soil and suspected in groundwater, represents precisely the kind of long-latent environmental release that occurrence-based CGL policies were structured to cover. With investigation still underway and cleanup costs yet to be incurred, historical carriers whose policies were in force during the decades of pre-1986 infrastructure use may bear obligations to fund the remediation 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.
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
Stay up to date on environmental property cleanup laws and changes.
Report Email Updates
Request more information on this property
Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.