Kwame Raoul Ramps Up Claims Over Trump Tower’s River Misuse

Illinois Attorney General is persisting with the state’s quest to hold Trump International Hotel & Tower responsible for alleged breaches of the Chicago River’s environmental protections.

Raoul has filed an amended complaint to a 2018 lawsuit, which accused the building’s owners of operating a cooling water system without the required permits and of underreporting water discharge levels into the river, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

According to the lawsuit, the 92-story tower at 401 North Wabash Avenue takes in roughly 20 million gallons of water daily and releases it at elevated temperatures to support its heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems. This high volume of water intake can be harmful to aquatic life as it poses a threat to fish and other organisms that may become trapped against intake screens.

In addition, the attorney general’s office alleges that the building owners have been discharging water into the river without a necessary National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, which is mandated by federal law. The previous NPDES permit for the building expired in 2017 and was not renewed because the owners failed to provide required reports about intake structure conditions and other information, the outlet reported.

Despite an interim order in 2018 requiring compliance with the permit’s provisions, the owners reportedly failed to adhere to it, leading to ongoing violations.

“Even after the state of Illinois took steps to hold Trump Tower accountable for violations of state and federal environmental laws, violations have continued — underscoring a disregard for the laws and regulations that are in place to protect our waterways and aquatic life,” Raoul told the outlet.

The lawsuit is asking the court to levy a $10,000 fine for each day of violation, potentially equating to $12 million of fines for the hotel.

In a related matter, a recent appellate court ruling found that insurers of the Trump Tower are off the hook to pay claims linked to the alleged river misuse.

— Quinn Donoghue