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 ongoing cleanup and groundwater monitoring obligations that Wisconsin DNR continues to oversee.
This property operated as a printing and publishing facility for decades before 1986, with a 1975/1983 facility map documenting fuel oil underground storage tanks, a 10,000-gallon white gas UST, and 250-gallon gasoline tanks already in place. Seven USTs — containing fuel oil and Stoddard solvent used for cleaning printing inks — were removed in 1986–1987, and a 14,000-gallon fuel oil UST was closed in place in 1991. A Phase II Environmental Site Assessment in November 2024 confirmed groundwater contamination, with benzene detected at more than 54 times the Wisconsin NR 140 Enforcement Standard and additional volatile organic compounds — naphthalene, chloroform, and bromodichloromethane — exceeding NR 140 Preventive Action Limits in multiple wells. Wisconsin DNR rejected the Site Investigation Report in January 2026, requiring continued vapor investigation and additional groundwater work. 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.
Printing and publishing operations at this property stored fuel oil, white gas, and Stoddard solvent in underground storage tanks documented on facility maps as early as 1975, with seven USTs removed in 1986–1987 and a 14,000-gallon fuel oil UST closed in place in 1991 — placing decades of contaminating activity squarely before 1986. With Wisconsin DNR's January 2026 rejection of the Site Investigation Report requiring continued vapor investigation, additional groundwater assessment to address benzene and volatile organic compounds exceeding NR 140 standards, and eventual site remediation and long-term monitoring, the future costs of bringing this property to closure represent obligations that the pre-1986 carriers insuring the businesses that operated here may be required 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.