Galway councillors plan to provide cheap bottled water to residents in the city using a subsidy system where shoppers will be given one bottle of water free for every bottle they buy.
At a special meeting of the City council last night the councillors said Galway mineral water will be available in certain shops with the cost being met by the council.
Galway County Council does not plan to introduce a similar system for regions under its jurisdiction affected by the polluted water. Up to 90,000 people in Galway city and parts of the county are unable to drink their water due to contamination and they must boil or buy all drinking and cooking water.
The city council has also asked the Government to consider a voucher system for social welfare recipients to allow them free access to bottled water.
Speaking on RTÉ radio today the Mayor of Galway, Niall Ó'Brolcháin, said it was now "time for Galway City Council to provide subsidised water in the area".
The water crisis in the county is now in its fifth week, with tens of thousands of people forced to boil their tap water as a result of contamination by the cryptosporidium parasite.
The subsidised water will be supplied by Galway City Council meaning that those outside the city area will not receive cut-price water.
However, Mr Ó'Brolcháin has said that people from outside this area should be able to avail of the subsidies.
He said: "We are not going to turn away anyone from the county, or tourists, who want to come into the city to avail of this service".