The discussion on phasing out nonconforming sand mines from residentially-zoned areas in the Town of Southampton will continue on Tuesday, January 28 at 1 p.m. at Town Hall. Please attend this imperative meeting at Southampton Town Hall, 116 Hampton St

After several community members and clean water advocates spoke out in favor of passing this law last December, the Southampton Town Board is holding another hearing this month that would phase out nonconforming sand mines through a process called amortization.*

*Amortization is a process that provides mine owners a defined length of time in which they must end operations and begin site reclamation. That time period, ranging between one to seven years, is based on existing permits from New York State. Once reclaimed, mine owners will still have rights on the property that are consistent with current, low-intensity, land use standards. As a result, the town’s drinking water reserves will be better protected, and the character of individual neighborhoods will be better preserved for the future.

The town outlawed sand mines in 1972. The state passed a law in the early 1990s giving towns on Long Island the special authority to regulate mines over that of the DEC. We urge the Southampton Town Board to support the proposed local law regarding the amortization of nonconforming sand mines (Article XXXII) and enforce its zoning laws.