This property has a documented history as an industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1910. 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 grey iron foundry beginning in 1910 and continued in heavy manufacturing use — including furnace production and sand casting operations — through 1975, as documented by Sanborn fire insurance maps spanning six decades. Chlorinated volatile organic compounds including tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE) have been confirmed in soil, while groundwater monitoring wells show polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and RCRA metals (arsenic and barium) exceeding Wisconsin DNR NR 140 enforcement standards. TCE has also been detected in sanitary sewer gas within the Oklahoma Avenue public right-of-way, and the groundwater plume is migrating northeast toward the Kinnickinnic River. The site is an active Wisconsin DNR Environmental Remediation Program case with an approved remedial action plan. 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.
Foundry and furnace manufacturing operations at this property spanned from 1910 through 1975, introducing chlorinated solvents, metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons into soil and groundwater through sand casting, core oven processes, and coal and chemical storage decades before 1986. The groundwater remediation, sanitary sewer gas mitigation along the Oklahoma Avenue right-of-way, and ongoing monitoring required to meet NR 140 enforcement standards and achieve Wisconsin DNR Environmental Remediation Program closure represent future costs that historical pre-1986 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.