Unless something goes terribly wrong. A saying that resonates with many water treatment operators. It’s the worst-case scenario, lurking beyond the horizon. It’s also the title of a film hoping to bring attention to the challenges water utilities face. This week, Water Treatment 411 is in conversation with Alex Wolf Lewis, co-director of the film everyone in wastewater is talking about.
The film is a buddy comedy full of poop jokes, loveable characters, and the trials and tribulations of providing clean water to a community. It follows the operations of the Portland Water District in Maine and the seemingly endless obstacles the team faces.
After touring the plant, Lewis and his co-director, Kaitlyn Schwalje realized there was clearly a story to be told. However, he said getting the district and the employees who work there on board was a challenge.
“I think they’re wary of any press because they’re just so used to flying under the radar,” Lewis said. “[They assume] as long as no one is talking about us, it means we’re doing our jobs right.”
Unsung Heroes
Wastewater has an “out of sight, out of mind” relationship with the public. Despite being a major innovation keeping society from the dark ages of constant disease and sludge thrown onto busy streets, it’s largely ignored.
“When we’re successful, the result is invisible,” said Dustin Price, chief operator at the Portland Water District, in the documentary. “[The public has] no idea the amount of effort that went into that. Our success is a very quiet success. Our mistakes get trumpeted very loudly.”
Lewis said this lack of positive attention is a major issue, contributing to the lack of funding. It’s been fifty years since the Clean Water Act infused money, research, and education into the country’s water infrastructure. One major theme of the film? It might be time for another.
Viewers follow Price and other employees through the laundry list of woes their plants face. From severely outdated systems to harsher biosolid restrictions, the team prevents major crises with sheer will and expertise. But the film shows it’s not just equipment that can break; people do too.
Under Pressure
Wastewater is facing mass retirement of current professionals and struggling to recruit new ones. Plants are running with a limited number of operators, making time off or sick leave a serious staffing challenge. It’s a high-stress industry with all of society resting on its shoulders. Pressure to succeed can weigh heavily on employees. Mental health struggles are still taboo within the field, limiting conversations and access to helpful resources.
“When people are showing up and trying to do their best, but the place won’t let them, that already is difficult,” said Zac Perkins, chief operator at the City of Bath Water Pollution Control Facility, in the documentary. “Then it’s not understood that it’s not your fault when something goes wrong. That affects morale probably more than anything.”
Slowly but surely, a shift is taking place. Major water treatment conventions are beginning to include the topic in programs. At the 2026 WETT Show, an entire session was dedicated to starting a conversation on mental health in the workplace.
According to Lewis, these are the types of dialogue the film hopes to spark. The film discusses the variety of challenges wastewater professionals face from daily infrastructure failures to the academic pressure of passing state-mandated certification exams. Over time, they also see how stress wears down operators.
“Our approach to talking about [mental health] is ‘look at how hard these guys work. Look at what they’re up against. Look at what they’re taking on personally,’” Lewis said, hoping to connect with audiences on an emotional level. “If you shrink it down to the human experience of an operator, it’s like they’re able to relate to it.’”
Industry Success
The film’s outreach strategy seems to be working. After three years in production, the film won the Fowlie Audience Award at Camden’s International Film Festival. It continued to gain recognition at other festivals and even gathered praise from some of the toughest critics: other wastewater professionals.
As mentioned before, the documentary has attracted attention in the wastewater world. The NEWEA 2026 conference added a spotlight showing of the film and Lewis said over a hundred utilities reached out to schedule a screening for their communities. Operators have found a sense of camaraderie with the real-life characters in the documentary, watching as they navigate tricky situations in Maine, reminding them of their day-to-day lives as far away as California.
“Overwhelmingly, the messages I’m getting are like ‘I see myself in this movie and no one’s ever told my story before,’” Lewis said.
Ultimately, Lewis said his goal is to have policymakers and community leaders experience the film. He hopes, through the power of storytelling, more people will begin to understand the hardships the wastewater industry is up against and take action to change that. He said, at the end of the project, thar he is in awe of people he met in wastewater.
“They’re all, without fail, incredibly smart, kind, funny, hardworking, and maybe haven’t had a traditional life path. They’re all just the coolest people with great stories too.”
You can find a list of scheduled screenings of Unless Something Goes Terribly Wrong here.
