At American River College’s main campus, the lower library suffered two significant sewage leaks first on Jan. 31 and again on Feb. 11.

Facilities management was notified and discovered that the first sewage leak had come from the third floor restroom. 

Facilities hired an outside company, ATI, to clean the affected areas and to run tests to determine how severe the damage was due to the sewage. 

ATI worked into the evening cleaning and disinfecting the affected areas. The lower library was safe to occupy by the next morning. 

According to Kaitlyn Collignon, ARC’s interim public information officer, ATI determined that two offices and a section of the hallway in the lower library are going to need repairs. 

“We are working on the repairs, and hope to have it completed as soon as possible,” Collignon said in an email to the Current. “The leak that caused the damage has also been fixed.”

On Feb. 9, the lower library started flooding with sewage. Faculty offices and classrooms, including,the Current newsroom, were evacuated. 

To determine the cause, facilities shutdown the bathrooms in the Welcome and Support Center, the Life Science and the Science buildings. Those were later opened. 

According to Collignon, the lower library is continuing to be assessed for damage and will remain closed during this process.