This property has a documented history as an industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1946. 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 served as a power-tool manufacturing facility from 1946 to 1965, with operations that included case hardening of steel using cyanide salts and on-site disposal of waste oils and solvents. Investigations spanning from 1986 through 2024 have confirmed tetrachloroethylene (PCE), trichloroethylene (TCE), cyanide, volatile organic compounds, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in soil and groundwater. The chlorinated solvent plume has migrated off-site to the east-southeast, with PCE, TCE, cis-1,2-dichloroethylene, and vinyl chloride exceeding Wisconsin NR 140 enforcement standards in multiple downgradient monitoring wells, and vapor intrusion has required sub-slab depressurization systems at affected properties. The site remains an active Wisconsin DNR Environmental Remediation Program case with ongoing groundwater monitoring and vapor mitigation. 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.
The contaminating manufacturing operations at this site — including solvent use and on-site waste disposal — ran continuously from 1946 to 1965, placing nearly two decades of industrial activity squarely in the pre-1986 window. The extensive groundwater remediation, off-site plume management, vapor intrusion mitigation, and long-term monitoring required under Wisconsin DNR 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
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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.