Chicago, IL – In a landmark decision, a Cook County judge has declared Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago a “public nuisance,” citing violations of state and federal environmental laws. The ruling comes after years of legal battles and highlights the tower’s detrimental impact on the local aquatic ecosystem.
Violations and Environmental Impact
Cook County Circuit Court Judge Thaddeus L. Wilson ruled on Monday that Trump International Hotel & Tower has been “committing a continuing public nuisance through a series of failures to comply with state and federal law dating back to 2008.” The hotel has been operating without a legitimate state environmental permit and has been responsible for the deaths of thousands of fish over the years.
Years of litigation
The lawsuit, initiated in 2018 by Friends of the Chicago River, the Sierra Club, and the Illinois Attorney General, has finally culminated in this significant ruling. Attorney General Kwame Raoul emphasized the importance of holding all entities accountable for environmental violations.
“The Chicago River is one of our city’s most treasured natural resources, providing opportunities for recreation and commerce,” said Raoul. “For years, Trump Tower failed to follow state and federal regulations that protect the health of the Chicago River and the balance of critical aquatic ecosystems therein. All entities — no matter who they are — must be held accountable when they willfully disregard our laws. I am pleased with this decision, and I am committed to continuing to vigorously enforce our environmental laws.”
Excessive water withdrawal
Since 2008, Trump Tower has been drawing excessive amounts of water from the Chicago River for cooling purposes, exceeding their reported withdrawal levels by over 44%. The building, one of the largest users of river water for cooling, utilizes up to 21 million gallons daily.
Impact on aquatic life
The violations have led to the deaths of thousands of fish and other aquatic organisms, either by being trapped against intake structure screens or being sucked into the building’s cooling systems.
Margaret Frisbie, executive director of Friends of the Chicago River, attributed the issue to the tower’s improper cooling technology.
“If you don’t have the proper technology at the interface with the river, where you’re drawing the water in, you can actually trap and pull into this system fish and other aquatic life that end up in the system, or they actually get stuck on the screens and so you kill the wildlife that gets drawn in,” Frisbie explained.
Frisbie further applauded Judge Wilson’s decision, describing it as a crucial step towards justice for the local wildlife and the community. “Judge Wilson’s decision brings us close to the end of a six-year journey to bring justice to the wildlife for whom these laws were designed to protect and the people who enjoy this wildlife,” she said.
“The Trump Tower’s complete disregard for the rules carelessly killed countless creatures and degraded the value of the significant public investments over decades to bring about the healthy transformation of the river for people, fish, and other aquatic wildlife.”
This ruling serves as a reminder that environmental laws exist to protect natural resources and that violations will not go unpunished, regardless of the perpetrator’s status.