The Chugiak-Eagle River branch library closed for five days last week as crews worked to clean up flood damage after a pipe broke in a storage room Oct. 22. The solder of a half-inch hot-water pipe failed and started leaking, spreading water over nearly half the library before it was discovered.

"When we came in to work there was 2 to 3 inches of standing water in some places," said librarian Mary Williams. "Water was everywhere. It was a mess."

The library, which opened at its new location in August, had water covering an estimated 7,000 square feet of the floor. It soaked the carpet from front to back, including the children and teen literature sections. Also damaged were some props used for childrens reading programs and items in one of the library offices.

"For the most part we came through this ordeal in good shape," Williams said. "Most of the damage was limited to the floor getting wet. There were a couple of art pieces that got wet, but they should dry out."

Other than damaged roof tiles, the only items destroyed by the water included three books that were stacked on the floor.

William Fowler, Anchorage Public Library facilities manager, helped with the cleanup. Crews worked throughout the day vacuuming up the moisture and brought in fans and dehumidifiers to dry the carpet, shelves and walls.

"We took down the rubber baseboard molding ... to get it dry because sheetrock will wick water up in it, and then it can be a mold problem," Fowler said.

With the cleanup work completed, all that is left is waiting for things to dry out.

Williams said a water leak is something she didn't expect to have to deal with considering the facility is only a few months old.

"It was nothing for us to have a small water leak in the roof here or there at our old location," she said. "But this came as a complete surprise. The maintenance crew responded as quickly as one could expect."

Being a new building, Fowler said it is still under warranty. He anticipated the cost of the cleanup and damage repair would be the responsibility of the contractor. Fowler added that the estimate for total damages cannot be determined until they know whether or not the carpets will dry completely without damage.

The library re-opened Tuesday.

Reach the reporter at darrell.breese.@alaskastar.com.

This article published in The Alaska Star on Thursday, October 29, 2009.