SALEM — A special screening of the film “Unless Something Goes Terribly Wrong” was held at Cinema Salem on Wednesday, emphasizing the often-overlooked importance of wastewater infrastructure.

“It’s a movie about poop,” Co-director and Cinematographer of “Unless Something Goes Terribly Wrong” Alex Wolfe Lewis said in an introduction video posted to Facebook for the St. Louis Film Festival.

That it is indeed.

Lewis previously worked on “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown.”

Cinema Salem saw a large turnout for this free screening on Wednesday with people of all ages crowding into the small theater to watch the documentary on wastewater treatment.

The documentary highlights the ongoing issue with aging infrastructure at wastewater treatment facilities across the United States. Just recently, the North Shore was affected by this after Haverhill’s wastewater facility experienced an overflow due to the heavy rains and equipment that could not keep up.

“[When] something like that happens, it’s basically a nightmare scenario,” South Essex Sewerage District Executive Director David Michelson said. “That’s what I lose sleep over each night.”

As the film highlights, clean water is not something people think about on a day-to-day basis. As these facilities age to their breaking point, construction must be done to ensure catastrophe does not become the norm.

Michelson stated during his speech the SESD identified “millions of dollars of work over the next 20 years.” These projects will affect the sewage rates and taxes residents pay across the North Shore, but in order for wastewater facilities to ensure they can operate, these projects must be finished, even if it causes upset about taxes.

SESD treats the wastewater of approximately 190,000 people and businesses located in Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem, and portions of Middleton and Wenham.

“Projects like replacing the Beverly force main, a 42 inch pipe that brings all the wastewater from Beverly and Danvers under the Beverly Harbor here to Salem,” Michelson said. “If that pipe fails, it could be worse than what happened in Haverhill.”

The SESD treatment plant is 30-years-old with its last update 30 years ago. This facility services nearly the entire North Shore.

“A lot of those mechanical systems, electrical systems, and computers are obsolete. They need to be replaced,” Michelson said.

Salem’s Ward 1 Councilor Erin Turowski said, “’Unless Something Goes Terribly Wrong’ details the challenges faced by the Portland Water District, but as you’ll see, the issues they’re facing are also affecting the South Essex Sewage District.”

This film reminds the audience of the important work these wastewater employees do with an incredible amount of humor that keeps you laughing.

For a job that requires such knowledge and is the backbone of public health, these facilities and workers are often unrecognized for all the good they do while their failures are picked apart.

“I hope everyone here appreciates the humor in the production,” Turowski said. “But also the very real reasons why our infrastructure is being put to the stress test everyday.”

Like all wastewater facilities, the SESD offers public tours to help educate residents of the North Shore on how wastewater treatment affects everything from showering to flushing to drinking.

There is so much to learn from these facilities from the work they do to the environment and climate change impacts. As weather becomes severe and infrastructure wears down, it comes as no surprise these facilities need massive overhauls.