Answer:
Combined sewers - such as those that serve about one third of Fort Wayne -- discharge a mixture of sanitary sewage and stormwater runoff to our rivers when it is raining or snow is melting. These discharges affect river water quality and pose a health risk for people who come in contact with the rivers for a period of time after a combined sewer overflow (CSO) event. There can also be ecological impacts from the sewage such as algal blooms and reduced fish diversity. The tunnel project will collect and transport the majority of the combined wastewater that would otherwise go to the St. Mary's and the Maumee Rivers in wet weather, thus reducing the amount of combined sewage and the pollutants it carries by 90%.