COTTONWOOD — The city of Cottonwood has lifted an advisory for residents to boil city water before drinking it. On Friday, the Minnesota Department of Health announced that no contaminants were found in Cottonwood’s water system, and the water is safe to drink.

The advisory was issued Wednesday, as Cottonwood was working to repair a water main break at the intersection of East First Street and Main Street. In order to repair the main, the city ended up having to temporarily shut down its water tower, said Cottonwood City Administrator Teather Bliss. The shutdown caused a loss of pressure in the city water system, and as a precaution Cottonwood residents were urged to boil their water before drinking it.

The Minnesota Department of Health says drinking water advisories should be issued for a variety of situations, where there’s a chance contaminants could get into the public water supply. Having low pressure in a water system is one of those situations, the Department of Health said. Boiling water before drinking it kills bacteria and other potentially harmful organisms in the water.

On Friday, Cottonwood announced no bacteriological contaminants were found in city water, and the “boil water” advisory was being lifted.

Repairing the water main and restoring service to the city took a group effort. On the Cottonwood city Facebook page, city staff thanked Al Olsen, Randy Fenger, Steve Alm, Wade Breyfogle, and Rick Jeseritz for their help in responding to the main break.