The Trump Tower in Chicago is facing a $12 million fine after using 20 million gallons of water every day without a permit.

An Illinois court ruled this week that the tower broke two of the state's environmental laws and became liable for damages as it does not have a permit to use water from the Chicago River.

The waterfront located building used the water to cool its ventilating, heating, and air conditioning system before returning it to the river 35 degrees hotter, the lawsuit said.

The Trump tower. [[imagecaption|| Credit: PA Images]]

The complaint states that there are 30 species of fish in the river, and they are being killed by being sucked against filter screens or from the effects of the warm water.

A 2018 report from The Chicago Tribune stated that the former president's building is the only major water user in the area that ignores state and federal laws that were put in place to protect the fish.

All other buildings in the area have filled in documentation explaining how their cooling systems limit the number of fish killed.

They also use substantially less water than Trump Tower, and take it in slowly to give the fish an opportunity to swim away.

The ruling determined that the building violates the Illinois Environmental Protection Act and the Illinois Pollution Control Board Regulations and it could see Trump fined as much as $12 million.

Donald Trump [[imagecaption|| Credit: PA Images]]

"No one is exempt from compliance with the laws that protect Illinois environment and most valuable natural resources, and we will continue to seek to hold the defendants accountable for violations of state environmental laws that jeopardized the quality of the Chicago River," the state attorney's office said.

This comes after Trump has blasted the existence of environmentally friendly buildings in the past, telling CNBC in 2012: "‘It's green because they don’t give you enough energy," in reference to lighting and temperature issues.

"Reports show Trump Tower and other properties are among the dirtiest emitters in the Big Apple. These are the bad actors we need to hold accountable because their emissions make everyone's air dirtier, fuel more violent weather and put the future of New York City in jeopardy," New York City council told CBS.

Trump Tower facing $12 million fine after using 20 million gallons of water every day without permit