Trump Tower Chicago Ruled Public Nuisance for Fish Deaths

The Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago has been deemed a public nuisance by an Illinois court due to its environmental violations.

A ruling this week by Cook County Circuit Court Judge Thaddeus L. Wilson found that the building’s cooling water intake system has illegally drawn in and killed thousands of fish from the Chicago River for years, the Chicago Sun Times reported.

The lawsuit, filed in 2018 by former Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Friends of the Chicago River and the Sierra Club, was refiled last year under the leadership of Attorney General Kwame Raoul.

Raoul argued that the tower’s cooling system, which draws up to 20 million gallons of water from the river daily, violates federal and state regulations meant to protect aquatic life. Judge Wilson agreed with those claims, stating that the 92-story tower at 401 North Wabash Avenue has “created and continues to create a public nuisance in violation of Illinois law.”

Environmental groups hailed the ruling as a significant victory.

“We’re proud to hold these scofflaws accountable,” Sierra Club Illinois Director Jack Darin said, vowing to monitor the building’s compliance moving forward.

Trump Tower’s violations extend beyond the destruction of aquatic life. The lawsuit claims the building operates without a proper state environmental permit, has failed to accurately report water discharge levels and violates at least three environmental laws. Raoul said his office intends to seek civil penalties for those violations.

“Trump Tower failed to follow state and federal regulations that protect the health of the Chicago River,” Raoul said. “All entities — no matter who they are — must be held accountable when they willfully disregard our laws.”

The Trump Organization hasn’t commented on the ruling.

While the legal battle continues, a hearing scheduled for November will address the steps needed to bring the building into compliance.

— Andrew Terrell