The precautionary notice was lifted originally in the east of the county in July, and all parts were cleared by September. Despite efforts by the City Council to reassure the public that their tap water is safe to drink, a survey of 600 sample households found that permanent damage had been done to public confidence in Galway's drinking water.

Water purification company H20, which conducted the survey, found that households will spend around 1,000 each on bottled water annually from now on.

It is estimated that the cryptosporidium contamination that crippled the county's water supply this summer has cost the local economy around 15m in tourism revenue.

A separate survey by the Galway Vintners' Association found that the water crisis cost 90 hotels and bars 1.5m this summer. The money was spent buying ice, water filters, and bottled water. Additional costs included higher gas and electricity bills from boiling water to make it suitable for consumption. The head of the association, Val Hanley, told the Sunday Tribune that Galway City Council has refused to provide compensation to the hospitality industry in the county.

"We were told there was no budget, " he said. "We're out of pocket because of something that wasn't our fault and we believe that's unfair." Hanley himself incurred extra costs of 8,000 in buying bottled water for his hotel residents over the summer. He said one hotel lost 100,000 in cancellations alone and spent a further 16,000 on bottled water. A hotel in Salthill spent 20,000 installing a top-of-the-range water filter, and other hotels and pubs were forced to follow suit, according to the Vintners' Association.

"What I noticed was the walk-in visitor who would think 'we'll stop off here tonight' didn't come. That wasn't happening, " Hanley said.

"They were going to Westport or Kerry instead, and you can understand that. We're out of pocket for something that wasn't our doing, and now they're saying they have no compensation to offer.

Where do you go from there?"

The Galway Vintners Association will meet next week to discuss their next steps, with Hanley saying there would be "war" if the council goes ahead with the planned 10% hike in business rates next month.

"We did achieve a 10% reduction on the water rate, but that's really very minimal, " he said, adding that there was "a complete lack of confidence" in Galway's water supply.

Galway Chamber of Commerce is seeking a 42% reduction in water rates. "The point is they're [the council] actually hoping we'll go away and get on with it, " Hanley said. "But it's not good enough."