The boil water notice was lifted at 3pm yesterday, though residents and businesses in the area were told they had to thoroughly flush their systems before using unboiled water. Former city councillor Colin Weatherall would head a panel to consider claims on a grants scheme from businesses that suffered hardship during the week, the council also said yesterday.
Some restaurants and cafes were forced to close while the boil water notice was in place.
On Tuesday, it was confirmed millions of litres of raw, untreated water released from the Ross Creek Reservoir had entered the city’s drinking water network through a pipe previously thought to be decommissioned.
The council shut down the flow about 10am on Tuesday, then issued a boil water notice covering the inner city and north end, dispatched freshwater tankers, and began flushing the network.
Yesterday afternoon council chief executive Sue Bidrose said it was with "an enormous sense of relief" she could announce the boil water notice was lifted.
The latest tests showed water coming from pipes passed all requirements of the New Zealand drinking water standards for the third day in a row.
The last test awaited was for protozoa — giardia and cryptosporidium — and those were "below detectable levels".
That was "really good news" for anyone who drank the untreated water before it was shut off on Tuesday.
Infrastructure and networks general manager Ruth Stokes said the council had flushed 9 million litres through the network to make sure there was no untreated water.
Residents needed to make sure there was no chance any was left in their own network, she said. They and businesses in affected areas were required to flush all taps for 10 to 15 minutes before drinking water from them. Instructions were on the council’s website.
Buildings in the city with on-site storage would also need to be flushed three times.
Mrs Stokes promised "a full review of what happened, and we’ll be taking steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again".
She said the review would look at how the problem occurred, what standard operating procedures were when the raw water was released, the council’s response, and documentation.
The report would go to the council for consideration.
Dr Bidrose said an application form for the $100,000 discretionary grants scheme for businesses and people who had suffered hardship would be put on the council’s website.
A panel chaired by Mr Weatherall would be formed "in the next few days".
"When people are in hardship, they’re in hardship, so we want to be doing that reasonably quickly."
Public Health South medical officer of health Dr Keith Reid said the risk to the public had been low, and was still low.
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Will there be a review into the Omakau water crisis? Omakau has been without SAFE drinking water for weeks on end.
And not one bit of Media coverage. It's a third world problem in a First World Country.