The August council meeting papers indicate that the fluoridation of Gunnedah's water will be pushed back to December 2021, which, according to a Gunnedah Shire Council spokesperson, is due to COVID-19.

The spokesperson said the council was unsure of when the construction of the new water treatment plant and centralised dosing system on Kelvin Road would begin at this stage.

"Timing of the start of construction will depend on the approvals timeline and finalisation of detailed design after the contract has been awarded," the spokesperson said.

"In the current COVID-19 climate, it is hard to predict the timeline of projects, but Gunnedah Shire Council is working to progress the new system while ensuring the highest standards are met at each stage."

The project is being funded by NSW Health, "to provide improved dental hygiene to the community and improved water quality".

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The spokesperson said concept designs for the project had been completed, and are with the Department of Primary Industry and Environment for approval.

"Once that approval has been provided, council will go out to tender with the construction contract," they said.

"Once the contract has been awarded, the design will need to be finalised in detail by the contractor before construction begins.

"Each of these steps is critical to the project."

The new plant will be located on Kelvin Road and will provide an advanced water disinfection station with chlorination and fluoride, telemetry control of water demands and interconnection to the existing system.

It's been a long road for the town to get the process underway.

Fluoridation of the water supply was endorsed at the council's December 2017 meeting after months of fierce debate across the community.

However, the project had slipped down the state government's priority list last year due to the state's bushfire crisis.