Settlement in Trump Tower Clean Water Act Lawsuit
Friends of the Chicago River is pleased that a proposed $4.8 million settlement agreement was reached last week in the lawsuit against 401 North Wabash Venture LLC, known as Trump International Hotel & Tower, for long-standing Clean Water Act violations harming fish and other aquatic life in the Chicago River.
Under the terms of the settlement, Trump Tower has agreed to bring its cooling water intake system into compliance with the Clean Water Act and the Illinois Environmental Protection Act to prevent harming or killing aquatic life by drawing them into its system. In addition to paying a civil penalty, the company will also fund a $3 million Supplemental Environmental Project to address the ecological harm caused.
This proposed settlement is a major step forward to ensure that all facilities using the river for cooling—regardless of size or ownership—comply with environmental law and regulation to protect the health of the Chicago River and its wildlife.
30-Day Public Comment Period
The proposed settlement, reflected in a draft Consent Order signed by all parties including 401 North Wabash, Friends of the Chicago River, the Sierra Club, and the Illinois Attorney General, has been posted on the Illinois EPA’s website for a 30-day public comment period. After the public comment period concludes, the judge presiding over the case – Cook County Circuit Court Judge Thaddeus L. Wilson – is expected to approve and sign the final Consent Order.
The lawsuit, filed in 2018, followed the discovery of violations during a routine permit review by the Sierra Club. The next court date is currently set for July 14.
As critical environmental protections face historic rollbacks from Washington, it is critical that Friends remains alert and responsive to any threats that compromise the health of the Chicago-Calumet River system, the people and wildlife that depend upon it, and the integrity of our environmental laws that protect us all.
