Congressman Mark Kirk says sewage treatment plants discharge more than 24 (B) billion gallons of untreated sewage into the Great Lakes each year. And U-S Representative Dan Lipinski says that threatens the cleanliness of both drinking water and fish habitat.

At a news conference in Chicago today, Lipinski and Kirk proposed quadrupling the fine for dumping raw sewage to 100-thousand-dollars a day by 2027. They say that would give cities time and federal money to upgrade their systems.

The congressmen say Detroit has been the biggest offender when it comes to sewage.

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago says Chicago hasn't dumped raw sewage into Lake Michigan since 2002.