1986: The Pocahontas County Sanitary Landfill is established by the County Commission under a Department of Natural Resources permit to provide centralized waste disposal for the county.
1988 – 1989: Stricter environmental regulations threaten the landfill's legal status, leading to the creation of the Pocahontas County Solid Waste Authority (SWA) in 1989 to manage the county's waste and recycling services.
1994 – 2013: The landfill undergoes a series of expansions, including the installation of modern composite liners in 1994, the acquisition of a trash compactor in 1996, and the addition of new cells in 2003, 2008, and finally a 1.35-acre cell in 2013.
June 2016: Catastrophic regional floods generate a massive influx of flood-damaged building materials and debris. This sudden surge places a severe, unforeseen burden on the facility's dedicated Construction and Demolition (C&D) cell, drastically accelerating its depletion.
October 2017: The SWA's effort to secure the landfill's long-term future fails. The authority had attempted to purchase 25 acres of adjacent land from property owner Jody Fertig—10 acres of which engineering studies confirmed were suitable for new landfill cells. Fertig passes away in October 2017, and his heirs refuse to sell the property, cementing the landfill's eventual permanent closure.
May – June 2022: Acknowledging that the permitted horizontal and vertical airspace is completely exhausted, the SWA publicly announces that the dedicated C&D cell has "no space left". The landfill officially stops accepting commercial-grade and bulk C&D waste in June 2022.
January 2023: An official monthly tonnage report includes a handwritten note confirming, "C/D Was closed as C/D because it Went in same cell". This indicates that minor residential renovation debris was being absorbed directly into the main Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) cell, acting as a "space eater" and accelerating the depletion of the facility's remaining overall capacity.
May 2023: Realizing the landfill will be forced to close by late 2026, the SWA and the West Virginia Solid Waste Management Board form a Stakeholder’s Group to evaluate alternative waste disposal models, including the possibility of a transfer station.
March 2025: Following a lengthy process, the Pocahontas County Commission formally purchases the landfill property and deeds it into the SWA’s name. This legal maneuver ensures that the SWA is strictly responsible for the facility's post-closure groundwater monitoring and maintenance costs, estimated at $75,000 per year for up to 30 years.
July 17, 2025: Private contractors Jacob and Malinda Meck (Allegheny Disposal/JacMal, LLC) propose building a transfer station and leasing it back to the SWA for 20 years at a cost of $25,000 to $27,500 per month. The SWA determines it cannot afford this lease.
December 17, 2025: The SWA forms a Negotiating Group—consisting of Office Administrator Mary Clendenen, attorney David Sims, the Mecks, and their attorney—to design a financially viable public-private partnership for a new transfer station.
February 18, 2026: The SWA board holds a special session and initially rejects "Option 4" (the revised lease agreement with JacMal, LLC) in a 2-2 tie vote. Board members Phillip Cobb and Ed Riley express deep concern that the heavy financial obligations will necessitate massive fee increases for local residents.
February 25, 2026: Facing the severe threat of a "stop-gap" where the county would have no legal place to dispose of trash once the landfill closes, the SWA board holds a revote. The board officially approves "Option 4", committing the SWA to a 15-year lease agreement for the new transfer station at a fixed rate of $16,759 a month, with a final buyout of over $1.1 million.
March 16, 2026: SWA board member Ed Riley officially resigns from the board following the controversial approval of the Option 4 contract.
March 17, 2026: Approximately 13 angry residents protest at a Pocahontas County Commission meeting. They heavily criticize the SWA for awarding a "no-bid" contract to Jacob Meck, the planned deeding of public landfill property to the Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation to facilitate the private build, and the impending monopolistic "flow control" mandates.
March 19, 2026: The SWA holds a highly attended special meeting where Office Administrator Mary Clendenen reads a formal public statement defending the Option 4 lease as a financial necessity. During the meeting, the board also reviews the draft Mandatory Garbage Disposal Regulations, introducing "flow control" rules that will legally require all county trash to pass through the new, expensive transfer station to guarantee its revenue.
Late 2026 (Projected): The Pocahontas County Sanitary Landfill is slated to reach its absolute terminal capacity and permanently close.
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