In a significant legal blow to Trump Tower Chicago, a Cook County Circuit Court has ruled that the building breached environmental laws by killing thousands of fish in the Chicago River. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and ecological activists had filed a lawsuit accusing the Trump International Hotel and Tower of violating environmental regulations related to its water intake system.
The lawsuit, filed last year, argued that the building’s cooling system, which draws 20 million gallons of water daily from the Chicago River, had illegally killed fish and other aquatic life. The court also found that the skyscraper, located at 401 N. Wabash Ave. and inaugurated in 2009, had been operating without a valid state water permit and failed to record water discharge levels properly.
Public Nuisance Ruling
Judge Thaddeus L. Wilson ruled that Trump Tower “has created and continues to create a public nuisance in violation of Illinois law,” according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The court determined that the operation of the cooling system “interferes substantially and unreasonably with the public right to fish and otherwise recreate in the Chicago River.”
Environmental advocates welcomed the decision. Margaret Frisbie, executive director of Friends of the Chicago River, noted that the tower had killed more fish and aquatic organisms than permitted by law. “This decision brings us near the end of a six-year journey,” she said. Sierra Club Illinois director Jack Darin also emphasized the need for continued monitoring to ensure compliance with environmental laws.
Next Steps
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for November, when further discussions will determine how Trump Tower must comply with regulations. If the parties involved cannot reach an agreement, the court may impose measures to bring the building into compliance with local, state, and federal water intake and fish protection laws.
