Swimmers are able to get back into the Nikiski Pool earlier than expected. The pool officially opened on Wednesday morning, Nigel LaRiccia, the pool supervisor, said. The North Peninsula Recreation Service Area began construction on their new septic system last week.

The price for the new septic system is now almost twice as much as was previously expected. The estimated cost has risen from $50,000 to $90,000.

“When this ordinance was introduced to the assembly on Oct. 9, 2018, it was anticipated that the North Peninsula Recreation Service Area (NPRSA) would be replacing the Nikiski Pool septic system with a system comparable to the existing system. However, the Alaska Department of Conservation (ADEC) based on calculations from domestic water consumption at the Nikiski Pool, is requiring the tank and trench leach field be significantly larger for capacity,” Finance Director Brandi Harbaugh and Service Area Recreation Director Rachel Parra wrote in an Oct. 23 memo to the Borough Assembly.

“Additionally, ADEC is requiring a nitrate test of the soils adjacent to the leach field,” the memo states. “The $50,000 to be appropriated will not be sufficient to complete this project. The total estimated cost of this project has increased to $90,000.”

At Tuesday’s Borough Assembly meeting, an ordinance appropriating funds for the new system was amended to reflect the increased cost of the project.

The pool’s septic system replacement will be completed in two phases, as both the tank and the leach field require replacement, according to the service area’s Facebook page.

The pool is back open and is operating on their winter hours.