Carterton District Council has now lifted its boil water notice, which means Carterton’s urban residents and businesses connected to the reticulated supply no longer need to boil water before consumption.

The Council has had 15 consecutive days of clear readings and the audit undertaken by an independent drinking water assessor has now been completed. This was an assessment of the data from the Council’s water treatment plants. Following this audit, and Council agreement with recommendations from the drinking water assessor and Regional Public Health to strengthen water quality monitoring, the boil water notice can be lifted. Council will continue to work closely with the Drinking Water Assessor and Regional Public Health around meeting the Drinking Water Standards of New Zealand.

Mayor Greg Lang said the Council was able to lift today’s notice as a result of the many long hours put in by Council staff, and their commitment to the Carterton community.

“I apologise to the community for the length of time the boil water notice was in place and I want to assure them they can be confident in the water being supplied to their homes,” Mayor Lang said.

“The Council staff have worked very hard to identify all possible causes of the low-level, intermittent E. coli bacteria readings and to confirm that the water treatment plants are working as they should be.”

The council will continue to work on its ongoing data monitoring to provide an early warning system and take appropriate action to mitigate the risk of contamination. The Council will also be continuing with its planned redevelopment of the Frederick Street water treatment plant which commenced mid-2020.

A full and comprehensive report of the investigation, remedial work taken during the boil water notice and its ongoing plans for its water infrastructure will be made available to the public by 10 May.

At this stage, the Council has not received any official reports of illness associated with this event.

If you experience diarrhoea, vomiting and/or a fever, contact your doctor or Healthline (0800 611 116).

What should I do once a water advisory/notice is lifted?

Run all your cold taps for 5 minutes before using the water.

Flush any appliances, e.g. coffee machines, water dispensers, ice makers that are connected to the water supply.

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