A lawyer for Dawson City, Yukon, told a judge today it’s on track with construction of its new sewage treatment system.

Dawson City has been under a court order since 2003 to stop dumping untreated sewage into the Yukon River.

A lawyer for Dawson City, Yukon, told a judge today it’s on track with construction of its new sewage treatment system. Dawson City is under a court order to stop dumping untreated sewage into the Yukon River. (CBC)

Except for the clerk, the courtroom in Whitehorse was empty as all of the players, even the judge, called in to a hearing over speaker phone.

The hearing was held to give the judge a progress report on construction of the long-overdue sewage treatment plant in Dawson.

The lawyer for Dawson City told the judge the project could be ready for its first trials by July. But lawyers for the federal government say that means the system won't be tested through a full summer tourist season.

They say they need proof the system can handle it when the town's population basically doubles for the summer.

That effects timing. The project's final court review was set for December but government lawyers said they may need to move that to next year to get the proof they need.

They'll be back in court in October to update the judge on progress made over the summer.