Chicago Trump Tower to Pay $4.8M Over Water System That Harmed Aquatic Life

Trump Tower and Hotel takes in about 20 million gallons of water a day from the Chicago River

View of the Trump tower and other buildings on either side of the Chicago river in the center of the photo — The owners of Chicago's Trump Tower and Hotel, seen here, center, on the right bank of the Chicago River, reached a $4.8-million settlement to resolve claims its water cooling system threatens fish and aquatic life.
*Photo by Getty Images/Air Footy*

The Illinois Attorney General has reached a $4.8-million settlement with Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago, holding it responsible for not getting proper permits for its water-cooling intake system that jeopardizes the safety of fish and aquatic life in the Chicago River that abuts it, and requiring system fixes to reduce environmental impacts.

The settlement stems from a September 2024 summary judgment issued by a Cook County Circuit Court judge who found that the building owner, 401 North Wabash Venture LLC, violated the Illinois Environmental Protection Act by taking in millions of gallons of river water per day to cool the 96-floor, 1,362-ft-tall tower's HVAC systems and discharging heated water back into the waterway—both done without obtaining proper permits and without doing mandated studies to reduce the impact on fish and aquatic life.

It was estimated in a lawsuit filed in 2018 by the state attorney general that the tower, completed in 2009, draws in and discharges about 20 million gallons of water a day from the river.

Under the proposed agreement, which resolves violations of the Illinois Environmental Protection Act and Illinois Pollution Control Board regulations, Trump International Hotel and Tower will be required to install flow meters to monitor the volume of heated water it discharges into the river. A third party will audit the accuracy of the meters, and monthly monitoring data will be shared with all parties taking part in the case. In addition, 401 North Wabash Venture must make changes to its cooling system to prevent aquatic life from becoming trapped.

The Friends of the Chicago River, a nonprofit that joined in the lawsuit against the tower owner, alleges on its website that the company “failed to accurately compute and report the rate at which the skyscraper’s cooling system withdraws water by approximately 44% for more than 10 years.”

The 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,” said Margaret Frisbie, nonprofit executive director, in a news release.

“Trump Tower showed a disregard for the environment through its daily discharge operations, which violated the Illinois Environmental Protection Act and Illinois Pollution Control Regulations. It is only appropriate that this settlement directly benefit the Chicago River and the local habitats of its aquatic life," said Illinois EPA Acting Director James Jennings.

The settlement, which must be approved by a county judge following a 30-day public comment period, will cover $1.5 million in civil penalties, $3 million for a supplemental environmental project to restore river habitat, fish and aquatic life and $300,000 in litigation costs.