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 help fund the multi-phase investigation and remediation work ahead under Wisconsin DNR oversight.

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.

Petroleum fueling operations at this property were actively underway before 1986, with underground storage tank infrastructure supporting years of fuel dispensing that preceded a 1989 line leak releasing approximately 500 gallons of gasoline and triggering a Wisconsin DNR LUST case closed in 1994 with residual soil contamination still above groundwater pathway standards. The site investigation now advancing under the DNR's Environmental Remediation Program — including further delineation of groundwater contamination where benzene exceeds the NR 140 Enforcement Standard by more than three times at multiple sampling locations, remediation of petroleum compounds including naphthalene, and long-term groundwater monitoring — represents substantial future costs that historical carriers insuring the businesses that operated here before 1986 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.