It comes after it was informed early yesterday its dosing of the Oamaru water supply was above the threshold it had been directed to put into its public water supply.
The council announced the pause later in the day.
It came after a Waitaki resident provided the council with independently verified test results on October 1.
The results showed levels above the 1.0mg-per-litre upper threshold, as recommended by the Ministry of Health.
The council subsequently had its own tests done and the results supplied yesterday prompted it to take action.
Chief executive Alex Parmley said fluoridation would be on hold for at least a fortnight.
The tests had indicated levels of 1.07mg/L post reservoir, and 1.08mg/L at South Hill.
Mr Parmley said this was "marginally above the target level" but well within the maximum acceptable value for fluoride in safe drinking water.
This was set at 1.5mg/L in the NZ water services regulations.
"Fluoridation has stopped while council’s water services and our commissioning contractors Filtec recalibrate our dosing equipment and analyser to ensure water is fluoridated at around 0.8mg per litre," he said.
Fluoridated water would still be present because of retention in the system.
Mr Parmley said the council anticipated fluoridation would begin again after the system was recalibrated.
The director-general of health had been informed.
Fluoride Free Waitaki spokeswoman Sheryl Black said the group had also undertaken its own tests, but knew what the local resident had presented to the council.
"We received two test results from Eurofins laboratory sampling fluoride levels in our town supply. Both at 1.10ppm."
The results were "outrageous".
The council had said it was "an operational matter" but it seems the resident’s approach had prompted it to take further action.
One of the Fluoride Free Waitaki samples, taken on September 20 in Humber St, was at 1.10ppm. The other, on September 24, in Deborah, was 1.10ppm.
"This is over 57% higher than our directed minimum of 0.7ppm," Ms Black said.
"WDC is supposed to be targeting 0.85 although that’s only a recommendation.
"They seem to consider it’s an operational matter and that if it’s under 1.5ppm it’s legal."
Ms Black said the group wanted to lobby the council further given its own test information.
"We have not yet alerted them to the 1.1ppm result, but they were already alerted on October 1 from another resident who received test results showing fluoride at 1.02ppm, who was concerned that this was well over the 0.85ppm target."
Mr Parmley confirmed the council had received test results from a resident on October 1, in addition "to our ongoing monitoring".
"On receiving the message from the member of the public we undertook additional testing."
An independent accredited laboratory took samples the same week and the results arrived back yesterday.
Mr Parmley said regardless of that the Oamaru public supply remained within the standards.
