Funkhouser and water on KCPT

Well, it's been a little dramatic around City Hall South these days -- that is to say, Mayor Mark Funkhouser's home -- but Hizzoner will have a chance to refocus a little on Thursday night by talking about a back-to-basics issue that's right up his alley.

He's accepted an invite to appear on KCPT to address the potential looming calamity of Kansas City's aging sewer system.

The city's water infrastructure, which in parts dates back to the Civil War, will require an estimated $4 billion to fix. The good news is, we're hardly alone, and lots of smart people are working on solutions to save the nation's cities from disasters like the great Chicago Flood of 1992.

These problems and possible solutions are covered in a national PBS broadcast to which KCPT has added a local component. Funkhouser will take part in a live panel discussion airing immediately after "Liquid Assets: The Story of Our Water Infrastructure," at 8 p.m. on KCPT. The program, produced at Penn State, seeks to raise awareness of the deteriorating condition of sewer systems across America. "Liquid Assets" repeats at 3 p.m. Sunday on KCPT. Nick Haines is your host.

(Thanks to the Pitch for the perfect photo)