Dawson lagoon referendum set to go ahead

A petition by Dawson City, Yukon, residents is forcing the town to hold a referendum over the proposed location for its sewage lagoon.

Resident Jorn Meier collected more than the 199 minimum confirmed signatures required under territorial law to hold a referendum on the issue.

"We collected about 270 signatures," Meier told CBC News on Wednesday. "The [town] administration went through every name and made sure that they were correct."

The petition will be presented to Dawson town council on Thursday evening.

Meier and other residents have objected to the court-ordered lagoon being built near the entrance to the town, close to its underground water source.

In 2003, the Yukon territorial court fined the town $5,000 for dumping raw sewage into the Yukon River and then ordered it to build a new treatment facility.

Construction has yet to begin on the $14-million sewage lagoon.

Mayor John Steins said while he respects the community's desire for a referendum, residents should stop trying to delay the process even further.

"We've had many meetings here discussing that location and the technology surrounding sewage lagoons and hardly anyone shows up," he said. "So, you know, where was the democratic action then?"