cleanup · Erie County
Southtowns AWTF Ash Landfill
Hamburg
Former disposal area for sewage-sludge incinerator ash at the Southtowns Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility beside Woodlawn Beach State Park. Erie County removed and tested the landfill contents, disposed of them off-site, and restored the area. The record does not identify the natural beach or dune system as a landfill.
The documented story
What happened here?
The Southtowns Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility maintained a closed on-site disposal area for ash generated by sewage-sludge incineration. The footprint sits within the treatment-facility property beside Woodlawn Beach State Park, but it is not the natural beach, dune system, swimming area, or the separate story of bacteria-driven beach advisories.
Erie County chose reclamation by removal rather than leaving a permanent mound beneath a new cap. The contract called for excavation, testing, controlled hauling, off-site disposal, grading, and restoration of the former ash footprint.
This story illustrates why geographic precision matters: a wastewater-treatment waste feature can be close to a beloved public beach without making every environmental condition at the beach evidence of ash migration.
Wastewater treatment produced a landfill that was later removed
Southtowns reclaimed its sewage-sludge ash disposal area beside Woodlawn Beach
Full removallandfill contents excavated for off-site disposal
Incineration era
Treating sewage created a concentrated solid residue
Incineration reduced wastewater sludge volume but produced ash requiring controlled disposal. The facility maintained a defined landfill beside its treatment works.
Reclamation
Testing guided excavation and transport
Erie County characterized the material, excavated the disposal area, controlled runoff and handling, and sent the contents to approved off-site disposal.
Restoration
The former footprint was graded and revegetated
Clean backfill, grading, vegetation, and closeout verification restored the disturbed area while preserving a record of where the ash landfill had been.
News record
Major news events
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Erie County seeks full removal of the closed ash landfill
The reclamation contract called for excavating the existing ash-landfill contents, testing the material, hauling it to approved disposal, and restoring the former footprint.
Erie County purchasing archive ↗Chronology
Timeline
- Incineration era
Sewage-sludge incinerator ash was placed in an on-site disposal area.
- Closed-landfill era
The ash area remained closed for years within the operating wastewater-treatment property.
- 2025
Erie County advertised a dedicated reclamation contract for complete removal, testing, hauling, disposal, grading, and restoration.
- 2025–2026
The county completed the removal and restoration work while the larger treatment-facility expansion proceeded as a separate project.
Environmental record
Documented impacts
- The disposal area contained ash from the incineration of sewage sludge at the treatment facility.
- Its proximity to Lake Erie and Woodlawn Beach required careful material handling and runoff control.
- The reviewed project documents do not identify the adjacent natural beach or dune as the ash landfill and do not make the landfill the documented source of every beach-water advisory.
Response
Cleanup and controls
- Landfill contents were removed rather than permanently capped in place.
- Material testing and controlled transport directed waste to approved disposal.
- Backfill, grading, vegetation, erosion control, and post-construction verification restored the footprint.
Then and now
The site today
The ash landfill has been reclaimed through off-site removal. The marker records the former disposal footprint and should not stigmatize Woodlawn Beach or imply ash remains across the park.