§ 53-1. Intent.

The Town Board of the Town of Brookhaven recognizes that sand and gravel are valuable natural resources of property owners within certain areas of the Town and that in past years the excavation of sand and gravel has proceeded in an unsatisfactory manner resulting in the elimination of ground cover, natural vegetation and the degradation of slopes, radical changes in stormwater runoff and other problems which, in all likelihood, will lead to the permanent sterilization of property within the Town; therefore, the purpose and intent of this chapter is to restrict the removal of sand and gravel to those instances where it is absolutely essential to remove said raw materials from a site in connection with the residential, commercial or industrial development of the premises, and further that the purpose and intent of this chapter is to encourage development which utilizes existing slope contours wherever possible so that drainage patterns and existing vegetation will be subjected to the least disturbance as is practicable.