2,000 Foot Problem

 

 

Meck may be seeking to a centralized processing hub for septic waste or as holding and pre-treatment tanks for leachate (the contaminated liquid generated by solid waste transfer stations). These pits would significantly reduce his fleet's hauling distances and offset the exorbitant costs of transporting leachate, which currently costs $1,129 per load to haul and process.

The proposed Green Bank sewage pits are a series of proposed directly adjacent to the Green Bank Senior Center. Historically built for the primary treatment and storage of effluent in rural Appalachia, these pits relied on natural biological processes and evaporation to manage waste..

Recently, the history of these sewage pits has become the center of a major land-use and environmental controversy in Pocahontas County.

For Meck building sewage pits aligns perfectly with his expanding waste management empire. He may be seeking to create a centralized processing hub for septic waste or as holding and pre-treatment tanks for leachate (the contaminated liquid generated by solid waste transfer stations). This would significantly reduce his fleet's hauling distances and offset the exorbitant costs of transporting leachate, which currently costs $1,129 per load to haul and process.

However, the potential activation of these proposed decades-old pits for high-volume industrial use has sparked intense public pushback. Community members are deeply concerned about the public health risks the pits pose to the neighboring Green Bank Senior Center and local residents. Specific concerns include the potential for groundwater contamination—especially for residents relying on private wells—as well as noxious odors, increased heavy truck traffic, and the attraction of pests and biological vectors. Any future industrial activity in the legacy sewage pits would require strict adherence to modern setback requirements from the Senior Center's property lines and significant technical engineering to ensure the old infrastructure does not leak into the surrounding soil.

Under West Virginia environmental regulations (specifically 33CSR1 and 33CSR3), the required setback limits for these facilities are:

• State Highway: The facility must not be located within 50 feet of a federal or state highway right-of-way.
• Medical Clinic: Medical clinics are classified as "health care facilities" under the state's waste siting rules, which require a mandatory setback of 2,000 feet.
• Senior Center: Because a senior center serves a vulnerable population and acts as a high-occupancy community gathering point, it is treated similarly to a school, church, or "similar type of institution," placing it under the same strict 2,000-foot institutional setback requirement.

State regulations do provide a mechanism for the Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) to reduce or waive the 2,000-foot institutional setback. However, to secure this discretionary waiver, the facility operator must successfully demonstrate that the operation will not create a public nuisance (e.g., by ensuring operations are fully enclosed to control odors, dust, and pests).