Unless Something Goes Terribly Wrong

Host Tom Bell talks with Portland Water District General Manager Scott Firmin and filmmakers Alexander Wolf Lewis and Kaitlyn Schwalje. Alex and Kaitlyn are the creators of the feature-length documentary Unless Something Goes Terribly Wrong—an informative, funny, and surprisingly heart-warming look inside Portland’s wastewater treatment plant.The film follows a ragtag crew of engineers, mechanics, and scientists as they navigate the often-invisible work of keeping our water clean, while grappling with the gap between the pristine world we expect and the messy, complicated and nose -wrinkling reality required to make it happen. It’s a conversation about infrastructure, teamwork, and the people behind the systems we rarely think about—until something goes terribly wrong!