The city of Akron is giving the public an inside look at its water and sewage systems — including its Ohio Canal Interceptor Tunnel project — while celebrating the blue herons that nest near one of the city’s facilities.

The second annual Blue Heron Homecoming Environmental Festival and Open House is set from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 7, at the Water Reclamation Facility, 2460 Akron Peninsula Road, Akron.

The free event is a chance to spy the blue herons that return to nest near the plant each year and to learn about the city’s project — dubbed Akron Waterways Renewed — to keep storm and sewer water separate. The plan, with an overall price tag of up to $1.4 billion, includes new pipes, separation racks, basins and the 27-foot-wide, 6,200-foot-long Ohio Canal Interceptor Tunnel that will run underneath the city.

The event will feature interactive displays and a model of Akron’s new sewer system so attendees can get an idea of how it will work, according to Jonathan Triola, a spokesman for the Akron Waterways Renewed project.

With a mission of environmental education, the open house will have about 30 exhibitors, including the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the Akron Zoo, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Summit Metro Parks and the University of Akron, among others. Personnel from the Akron Engineering Bureau, Water Reclamation Services, Sewer Maintenance Division and Utilities Billing Office also will be on hand.

Attendees can take trolley tours of the Bath Road Heron rookery and the Water Reclamation Facility.

Last year’s event drew about 600 people, Triola said, and organizers are hoping for about 1,000 this year.