More legal troubles loom for Trump International Hotel and Tower over alleged misuse of Chicago River water
CHICAGO - Trump International Hotel and Tower could be in hot water for what it’s allegedly taking out – and putting into – the Chicago River.
Two Chicago nonprofits dedicated to protecting the environment have threatened to take legal action against the company.
‘Friends of the Chicago River’ and ‘Sierra Club Illinois’ have filed a notice of intent to sue Trump International, accusing the company of misusing water from the Chicago River and miscalculating how much it’s taking.
"When we looked at Trump International’s behavior, we just found an appalling disregard for the Clean Water Act," said Jack Darin, director, Sierra Club Illinois Chapter.
The Clean Water Act is a federal law that establishes the basic structure for regulating water pollution.
"The Chicago River is so much healthier than it was a generation or two ago, because of the Clean Water Act," said Darin.
One of the city's most precious natural resources, the Chicago River is home to over 70 species of fish, according to Darin.
It is also a centerpiece of recreation downtown, plus, most buildings that run along it rely on the river to operate their heating and cooling systems.
"We regularly look at this public information and sometimes we find that corporations are trying to cut corners," said Darin.
Like most buildings, Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago has a permit to utilize the river’s water; however, Friends of the Chicago River and Sierra Club Illinois are alleging that Trump International is not taking necessary steps to prevent harm to the river's wildlife.
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"One of the things that’s really important when you’re sucking in large volumes of water from the river is to make sure you’re not pulling in and killing all the fish with it, and that’s where Trump International has really fallen down," said Darin. "In the process, they're finding all kinds of different fish species that are sucked into the building and caught up in the heating and cooling systems, and therefore killed."
It's not the first lawsuit brought against Trump International for similar alleged violations.
"The case that we brought in 2018 was joined by the State of Illinois and that case is still ongoing and probably headed for a trial," said Darin.
While preparing for that case, Darin said they uncovered even more problems.
"For over 10 years, they’ve been doing the basic math wrong about how much water they’re taking out of the Chicago River and then returning to it each day," said Darin.
The groups say that Trump International has been under-reporting its water withdrawals by more than 40 percent.
Trump International has 60 days to respond to the allegations.
FOX 32 Chicago reached out to Trump International for comment Tuesday but is still awaiting a response.