CHICAGO (WOWO): An Illinois senator is bashing Fort Wayne and how it handles its waste water. Republican Senator Mark Kirk is pushing  for the Great Lakes Water Protection Act in Congress. He says pathogens like e. coli cause hundreds of beach closures in his state, costing millions of dollars in lost revenue each year. And, it’s coming from Midwestern cities, like Fort Wayne that have sewage flowing into the Great Lakes during heavy rain. Kirk claims Fort Wayne dumped 7.5 billion gallons of sewage into Lake Erie by way of the Maumee River in 2011. His legislation seeks to end sewage dumping by increasing fines to cities that dump and it mandates communities to upgrade their sewage treatment facilities. Fort Wayne is planning a $35 Million dollar project to expand storage and processing of sewage during heavy storms.  The Mayor’s Office says they are aware of the claims.