This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility going back to 1900. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This property served as a shipbuilding and woodworking facility from the early 1900s through World War II, then transitioned to military use as a Naval Reserve Training Center from the post-war period through 1996. In 1993, six underground storage tanks totaling approximately 55,800 gallons of capacity for heating oil and vehicle fueling were decommissioned and removed under a Navy contract. Petroleum products were detected in groundwater beneath the property, and the site achieved No Further Action status through the Voluntary 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.
Military fueling and heating operations at this Naval Reserve facility kept nearly 56,000 gallons of underground petroleum storage in continuous service from the post-war era through the early 1990s — decades of tank operations predating 1986. The petroleum contamination found in groundwater here traces directly to those military-era tanks, exactly the kind of long-duration release that occurrence-based CGL policies issued to the facility's operators during that period were designed to cover. The documented remediation costs, from UST decommissioning through site investigation and groundwater cleanup, represent expenditures that historical carriers who insured the facility during those fueling operations may be obligated to recover.
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.