This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1930. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This property was originally developed as the Stoneway Dock Company in the 1930s, transitioning to Stoneway Sand and Gravel in the 1950s and later operating as Stoneway Concrete, producing concrete and asphalt on site. A 600-gallon heating oil underground storage tank was removed during cleanup under the Voluntary Cleanup Program, and groundwater contamination — including arsenic, formaldehyde, and highly alkaline pH levels — was addressed. Industrial operations ceased in October 2002, and the site received a No Further Action determination, though an environmental covenant restricts groundwater use and requires ongoing monitoring. 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.
Industrial operations at this property began in the 1930s and continued for over seven decades, spanning the entire era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were issued without effective pollution exclusions. The arsenic and formaldehyde contamination found in groundwater here traces to those decades of concrete, asphalt, and aggregate manufacturing well before 1986. Historical carriers who covered Stoneway's operations during that pre-1986 window may still be obligated to recover the remediation costs incurred — from UST removal through groundwater cleanup to the ongoing monitoring the site's environmental covenant now requires.
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.
Recovering Costs from an Older Cleanup
If this site reached No Further Action years ago, the original cleanup expenditures may be difficult to reconstruct. Restorical's forensic accounting team specializes in re-establishing and documenting past cleanup costs — even decades later — to build the strongest possible basis for an insurance recovery claim.
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.