Chief executive Dr Sue Bidrose made the announcement at a press conference just after 3pm this afternoon.
''As hoped, based on test results and expert advice we were able to lift the boil water notice at 3pm today,'' Dr Bidrose said.
Council Infrastructure Networks general manager Ruth Stokes said it was important people in affected areas flushed out their water systems before they resumed drinking water from the tap.
Instructions on how to do so were posted on the council website (here).
In the meantime water would still be available from tankers until 7pm.
Dr Bidrose said lifting the notice was good news, and the council wanted to thank all residents and businesses who were affected.
However, it was ''really important'' that people followed the advice about running taps for 10 to 15 minutes before drinking water again.
The announcement came after people in large parts of the city were asked to boil their water since Tuesday when it was confirmed millions of litres of raw, untreated water released from the Ross Creek Reservoir had entered the city’s drinking water network.
The council shut down the flow, which came through a pipe previously thought to be decommissioned, about 10am on Tuesday.
The council then issued a boil water notice covering a large swath of the inner city and north end, dispatched freshwater tankers, and began flushing the network.
The council yesterday said results from tests showed the water released from the Ross Creek Reservoir into the city’s drinking water network on Monday was, at worst, within swimming water standards, and not likely to cause illness.
This comes after the Southern District Health Board yesterday said the risk of contracting gastroenteritis was low.
Medical Officer of Health Dr Keith Reid said he was ''very happy'' with the DCC’s response to this situation.
''It’s important the flushing advice is followed, but the key issue is that no bacterial contamination has been detected in the network at any time sampling has been done during the week,'' he said.
“We’re not anticipating an increase in gastroenteritis as a consequence of this event.”
Dr Bidrose says a full review is being carried out.
