As most students already know there are talks of putting a landfill in Prairie Views own backyard of Hempstead. This is still speculation between students on whether the landfill will still be placed in our community. Two years ago when the landfill was first talked about being put in Hempstead, Prairie View students organized a march of nearly 2,000 students and faculty to help bring awareness to the people in the surrounding areas of Prairie View, Hempstead, and Waller County. From that march of students, city officials have stopped and reconsidered about the landfill being in Hempstead but now the topic has came up once again.
As of February 20, 2015, a settlement was reached in the lawsuit of the city of Hempstead in junction with Citizens Against the Landfill in Hempstead (CALH) against Waller County and Pintail Landfill. But there is still a possibility the landfill can still be put in Hempstead, since originally the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) issued approval for the landfill to be a transfer station location.
The Hempstead area is ideal for a major corporation to build a controversial landfill. A landfill would leave a risk for water contamination for all students attending Prairie View A&M University, as well as odors get tremendously tall and be filled with trash and medical waste. The landfill has the potential to be nearly 18 stories high.
So, we urge all PV students to get involved to stop the Highway 6 Landfill because it will really affect our community in many ways detrimental to our health and growth of our university. There is still more progress to be made before there will be a final decision to end the Highway 6 landfill, but as long as we remain involved and active in the efforts we can help keep the legacy of Prairie View A&M University going for now and forever more.
Find out more information on the efforts against the Highway 6 Landfill at www.stophwy6landfill.com