This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility predating 1986. 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.

Steel foundry and aluminum casting operations at this waterway site were established decades before 1986, placing the facility squarely within the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies covered pollution claims without effective exclusion. The 1983 Superfund listing confirms that contamination from those foundry operations was already significant before the CGL policy landscape shifted. The remediation expenditures incurred here — large-scale soil and hazardous waste removal, sediment cleanup, and ongoing monitoring for residual mercury — represent costs that historical carriers who insured the facility during that pre-1986 window may be obligated both to recover and to fund 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.