Durham nonprofit continues to clean up after sewage spill

A city sewer main backup caused wastewater, and solid waste, to spew from the toilets and flow throughout the building in the 4400 block of Guess Road.

Although none of the wastewater reached the river, the flooding damaged years worth of materials including t-shirts and posters, she said.

"The biggest tragedy is the archives," Jacobs said. "We had 45 years worth of archives in the office and those have really all been destroyed."

With help from the community, the association, which works to acquire land for conservation, is undertaking an extensive cleanup that will include demolition and reconstruction of the building’s interior.

"People are making contributions to help us with the financial loss and that is wonderful," she said.