This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station 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.

The presence of total lead in groundwater at this site is a direct signature of leaded-gasoline operations that predate the nationwide phase-out of leaded fuel before 1986, anchoring the contamination to a period when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. The documented remediation trail — vapor extraction, air sparging, and decades of continuous groundwater monitoring — represents expenditures tied to releases that originated during those pre-1986 operating years. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to this facility during its leaded-gasoline era may be obligated both to recover those past cleanup costs and to fund the ongoing work.

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.