This property has a documented history as an industrial and manufacturing facility predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could help fund the multi-phase investigation and remediation work ahead under Wisconsin DNR oversight.
This property has been in industrial manufacturing use since well before 1986, with chlorinated solvent degreasing operations generating trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) contamination that Wisconsin DNR classified as historic upon notification in 2004. Over 101 million gallons of TCE-contaminated groundwater have been extracted and treated through an air stripper remediation system, with the TCE plume extending more than 250 feet into bedrock across a monitoring network of more than 20 wells. Vapor intrusion assessment confirmed indoor air TCE concentrations exceeding Wisconsin DNR vapor risk screening levels by more than twenty times, prompting installation of an active vapor mitigation system commissioned in August 2025. That history could support an insurance coverage claim against the carriers who issued policies more than 40 years ago — coverage that could help fund the cleanup ahead.
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 Wisconsin — and those policies may provide coverage that remains enforceable today. 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 manufacturing operations involving chlorinated solvent degreasing at this facility began decades before 1986, placing the origin of TCE and PCE contamination squarely within the pre-1986 window. The extensive ongoing groundwater extraction and treatment, bedrock aquifer remediation, vapor mitigation, and quarterly monitoring obligations under Wisconsin DNR Environmental Remediation Program oversight represent substantial future costs that those historical carriers may be obligated to fund.
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
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.