The Marian J. Mohr Memorial Library temporarily closed its lower level after employees discovered flooding from a sewer backup on June 6. Director Jon Anderson said the library plans to reopen the lower level to the public on June 12. The library’s other floors remained open to the public throughout the closure.

While no books or other library materials in the children’s section on the lower level were damaged, the area was closed. Restoration will include replacing the area’s damaged furniture, as well as ripping up carpet and removing parts of the drywall that have been affected.

Rhode Island Restoration is managing the restoration effort. As a town building, the library is eligible to have the restoration costs covered by town insurance.

Anderson said the cause appeared to be a toilet in the upstairs bathroom that was “running like a whirlpool.” He described “standing water in one of the stairwells and part of the hallway and behind the children’s service desk.” 

The flooding appeared to be unrelated to the rain showers over the weekend. Anderson speculated that the issue is due to debris obstructing the grinder pump system the library uses in its sewer system, which can occur when foreign objects are introduced into drains.

While the water flooding the lower level was clear, Anderson said that the library would “err on the side of caution” by refraining from allowing library staff to enter the area and that the room would be dehumidified and disinfected. Children’s books that are returned to the library in the meantime were held upstairs rather than shelved.

While the unexpected flood interfered with some of the library’s summer programming and resulted in a few cancellations, library staff have worked to keep planned events on schedule by moving them to different rooms. While story time on June 7 was canceled, there was good news for young fantasy enthusiasts: the Dungeons and Dragons group was able to meet upstairs on June 6.