A large January sewage spill at San Francisco’s main public library that was caused by someone who flushed “foreign objects” down a fourth-floor toilet led to $550,000 in damages.
The spill happened Jan. 20, when a sewer overflow that started on the fourth floor of the Larkin Street library across from Civic Center Plaza spread to the stories below, affecting all three of the first floors in the building’s northwest corner.
Library staff said the spill contaminated just about everything in the spaces it spread to, with ceilings, ductwork, painted surfaces, insulation, cubicles and floor coverings all being damaged. The library’s Talking Books and Braille Center, Audio-Visual Room and Genre Room were all impacted by the spill, according to the city.
Jaime Wong, a San Francisco Public Library spokesperson, could not say for sure exactly what kind of “foreign objects” clogged the toilet in question and led to the spill.
“It might have been some fabric,” Wong said. “It got pretty mangled.”
Wong said toilet blockages in the library have caused spills before, but this appeared to be the first time that one on the fourth floor had caused such extensive damage.
The overwhelming majority of the bill will be paid by insurers, according to city officials. San Francisco is only on the hook for a $10,000 deductible that will be paid from its Library Preservation Fund.
Cleanup of the spill began the day it happened and was completed Feb. 9, according to the city. Repair work started several days later and most of it has been completed, though some damaged flooring and cubicles still need to be replaced. The city hired a contractor, Belfor Property Restoration, to handle the cleanup and repairs.
The Board of Supervisors Budget and Finance Committee on Wednesday approved the repairs, which required an emergency declaration from the Public Works director. The full board is likely to sign off on the matter next week.
Reach J.D. Morris: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @thejdmorris
