From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for July 12, 1987:

In an article today, sludge was presented as a recurring concern to Lawrence city leaders, who were running out of places to put the sewage-treatment residue. The city’s only wastewater treatment plant at the east end of Eighth Street was producing about 100,000 gallons of sludge per day. About one-third of this was being dried and offered to gardeners as a low-grade fertilizer, while the remainder was being injected as a liquid into the ground at a 40-acre parcel surrounding the plant. However, as the city continued to grow, the site was becoming saturated. “This is a byproduct of a growing city,” said assistant city manager Mike Wildgen. “You want to keep a handle on it.” Officials had failed to negotiate a purchase of an adjoining 20 acres (whose owner said that the city had made a “ridiculous offer”) and were now exploring their options using eminent domain.