Gosford Council says it is answering the Environment Protection Authority’s (EPA) concerns in a recent audit on the tip.

Councillor Lynne Bockholt suggested a committee of Councillors, residents and the Woy Woy South Progress Association be set up.

The EPA audit said Council had not provided adequate management of stormwater runoff, monitoring of discharged water or the proper supervision of the type of waste being dumped.

The EPA’s main concern is uncontrolled stormwater runoff will mix with, and carry possibly hazardous toxins into nearby Patonga Creek in Brisbane Water National Park.

Other concerns raised in the report include inadequate covering material and the inadequate compaction of waste, damaged perimeter fencing and a lack of a recovery program for CFC gases.

Council has since built extra dams to capture the contaminated water. Council now takes the water to the Woy Woy sewerage works.

The Woy Woy tip is nearing its capacity and the environmental pressure can only get worse.

"We have a maximum 10 years left in our tips," Mayor Chris Holstein was reported saying.

Council’s current policy is to extend the Woy Woy tip. The other possibility is to open new sites at either Ourimbah or Bulls Hill.

Councillor Lynne Bockholt said the new sites were not wanted.

"I think if the current tip is to be continued to be used, we have to ensure it is not just filled with the same garbage," she said.

Matthew Wales the President of the Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, said Gosford Council should address the EPA’s concerns before any expansion is contemplated.

"Expansion of the existing tip may be a good idea. But not at the expense of our precious local environment," he said.

"If the tip can be expanded, lets make sure that it is both environmentally sound and economically feasible. The cost impact of moving the waste to some other location outside of the City of Gosford will be considerable for both the business sector and the wider community."

"Let’s ensure that the debate is both thorough and evenhanded," he said.

Mr David Hart, Manager of Waste Services at Gosford Council said the tip had another ten to fifteen years left if it continues to be used as it is now.

"Gosford Council produces a lot of waste products but we have waste minimisation policies in use," Mr Hart said.

"If the general community can minimise waste also, we could have about 15 years left. Extending the tip by quarrying more land will extend the tip’s life immensely."

Mr Hart said in reply to those against a tip extension, "If we have to take the waste somewhere else, the extra cost will be a burden to ratepayers."

About 80 concerned residents had attended a public meeting on September 26 last year on the issue. Councillor Bockholt said the meeting drew two strong resolutions, that a committee to discuss the issue be set up immediately and that there was no confidence in a commissioned environmental impact statement (EIS) prepared by council.

Council decided monitoring the site with quarterly reports was sufficient and there was no need for a committee to be set up to monitor water quality in Corea Bay.

Councillor Bockholt said there were concerns about the EIS.

"The statement does not attempt to assess the cumulative impact of the tip, the proposed extension or the Woy Woy sewerage works on the nearby waterways," she said.