Trump International Hotel & Tower in Illinois is being blamed by the state for allegedly threatening the ecosystem of the Chicago River.
A lawsuit filed by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan claims that the building uses nearly 20 million gallons of river water on a daily basis for various cooling systems. The warm water is then put back into the river.
As a result, the lawsuit alleges that the complex has not met various requirements involved with a state permit designed to mitigate harm toward fish due to the rapid change in temperature and pressure from the water.
“Trump Tower continues to take millions of gallons of water from the Chicago River every day without a permit and without any regard to how it may be impacting the river’s ecosystem,” Madigan said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Trump Organization has accused Madigan of filing the lawsuit because of political motives.
“We are disappointed that the Illinois Attorney General would choose to file this suit considering such items are generally handled at the administrative level,” the Trump Organization said in a statement. “One can only conclude that this decision was motivated by politics.”
