The potential use of iron removal sludge of freshwater treatment facilities for the recovery of oil from aqueous media was established. A high adsorption capacity for oil of this material was shown using the deep-well water iron removal sludge from the Tomsk Akademgorodok water intake site. The oil-absorbing capacity of as-recived sludge was studied, conditions for its thermal treatment were chosen, and the ability of the thermally activated sludge to recover oil from aqueous media was examined.