From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Feb. 15, 1974:

• Geological core samples taken at the site most preferred for Douglas County’s new landfill were showing the area to be not as ideal as it had been hoped. Samples taken this week at the site, southwest of Lawrence between the Wakarusa River and Yankee Tank Creek, were possibly indicating the water table was too high for a landfill. Gary Miller, project supervisor for the county public works department, told county commissioners this week that the water table was anywhere from seven to 13 feet below the surface. Ideal landfill conditions required a 15-foot water table. However, Miller said the samples were not conclusive, as they were from the perimeter and they had been taken during an unusually wet year. The county commission agreed to have six more samples taken in the center of the site before deciding whether to discontinue the study, which called for a total of 36 samples.
• Student enrollment in U.S.D. 497 was expected to drop by about 900 students by 1980, according to projections compiled by the school district’s facilities committee. Kenneth Fisher, assistant superintendent for business and facilities, said the predictions were based on the assumption that population growth in the city and county for the next seven years would be similar to that of the previous seven years. However, “a large unforeseen industry could move into our school district and change these enrollment estimates drastically,” Fisher said.