Penn State Public Broadcasting Documentary on Nation’s Deteriorating Water Infrastructure to Air Nationally Starting in October

Experts fear aging national water infrastructure system is under stress and

                          on the verge of failure



    UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., Aug. 19 /EMWNews/ -- It is out of sight and

out of mind, but America's aging water system is in dire need of an

overhaul. Penn State Public Broadcasting (WPSU-TV) is set to premiere a

public television event on the looming crisis underneath our feet and how

communities are trying to meet this challenge. "Liquid Assets: The Story of

Our Water Infrastructure," tells of America's distressed essential

infrastructure systems: drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater. These

complex and aging systems -- some in the ground for more than 150 years --

are critical components for basic sanitation, health, public safety,

economic development, and a host of other necessities of life. A

four-minute trailer is available for viewing now at

http://liquidassets.psu.edu online.



    The 90-minute documentary will be available nationwide to all public

broadcasting stations beginning October 1, 2008.



    "The goal of this public service media project is to stimulate

community discussion and bring this issue into the public consciousness

using television as a catalyst," said executive producer of the

documentary, Tom Keiter. "We want 'Liquid Assets' to be more than just a

broadcast."



    The documentary explores major water, sewage, and stormwater

infrastructure issues facing communities across the country, including:






    -- Atlanta

    -- Boston

    -- Herminie, Pennsylvania

    -- Las Vegas

    -- Los Angeles

    -- Milwaukee

    -- New York City

    -- Philadelphia

    -- Pittsburgh

    -- Washington, D.C.



    Accompanying the documentary is an online companion toolkit, intended

to help facilitate discussions that extend beyond the broadcast. The

community toolkit, also available at http://liquidassets.psu.edu, includes

an outreach guide and other resources to complement the documentary.



    "Liquid Assets" will also be available on DVD on through Penn State

Media Sales for $24.95 plus shipping and handling. It can be ordered by

calling 1-800-770-2111 or by visiting http://mediasales.psu.edu.



    "Liquid Assets" is a production of WPSU, Penn State Public

Broadcasting. Executive Producer: Tom Keiter. Project Director: Melanie

Doebler. Producer: Stephanie Ayanian. Writers/Directors: Stephanie Ayanian

and Mark Cooper. Project Manager: Elaine Brzycki. Director of Photography:

Ryan Witt. Editor: Greg Feinberg.



    Major funding for the "Liquid Assets" documentary was provided by the

Colcom Foundation, with additional funding from the Associated General

Contractors of America, the American Society of Civil Engineers and its

Environmental & Water Resources Institute, Insituform Technologies, and the

National Association of Clean Water Agencies.



    Support for community outreach efforts was provided by National

Association of Water Companies, Water Environment Federation, Uni-Bell PVC

Pipe Association, 3 Rivers Wet Weather, American Public Works Association,

American Water Works Association, CH2M HILL, Ductile Iron Pipe Research

Association, Gannett Fleming, National Association of Sewer Service

Companies, National Utility Contractors Association, Northwest Pipe

Company, and Plastics Pipe Institute.



    For more information on the airing of "Liquid Assets" or for media

interviews, please contact Jill Filby, Penn State Public Broadcasting,

[email protected] or 814-863-9912. You may also contact Dave Aneckstein,

Penn State Outreach, [email protected] or 814-865-7600.

    About WPSU



    WPSU, Penn State Public Broadcasting is part of Penn State Outreach,

the largest unified outreach organization in the world. As a broadcaster

licensed to one of the largest land grant research universities in the

country, WPSU is committed to the concept of public service media:

developing non-commercial programming on important societal issues and

helping to foster community discussions in concurrence with the broadcast.

"Liquid Assets" originated from conversations between Penn State Public

Broadcasting and the Penn State Department of Civil and Environmental

Engineering. The 90-minute documentary is available nationwide to all

public broadcasting stations at no cost through the National Educational

Telecommunications Association (NETA) beginning October 1, 2008 with

unlimited broadcast rights though September 2011. The program is available

in HD and SD versions.