Here's something you may not have known, the coastal bend is the third leading producer of uranium in the nation.

A money-maker for the companies involved, but some residents living near those mines claim the mining process contaminates their ground water. Our Manuel De La Rosa has this special report.

The Garcia Hills neighborhood in Ricardo was once the retirement dream for Ann Ewing and her family.

But about a decade ago, her family received a letter from the EPA. They were astounded to read that their ground water was five to eight times above the uranium standard for safe drinking water.

Ewing says, "Unfortunately because of the contamination of the water, the land is pretty much worthless. We can't farm it. Certainly if we attempted to sell it, we wouldn't be able to do so because of this thing called full disclosure."

Whose family has lived here for decades blames a Ricardo uranium mining company called URI for the ground water problems.

She's adamant that shortly after the company started searching for uranium in 1986, things went down hill.

Ewing says, "Up to the 1990's, we were drinking well water. Our entire family was drinking well water until we were notified by EPA the uranium levels exceeded federal standards and that we needed to identify a different source of water."

Over the past 12 years EPA tests show high levels of uranium and indicate the there's also unsafe levels of alpha radiation, a proven cancer causer. Ewing is worried about her grandfather.

Ewing says, "Suddenly it's one ailment after another. Whether or not it's directly related to uranium levels in our water, it still unknown because more research needs to be done."

Another family relation, Humberto Garcia, is concerned about the animals who have to drink the water.

Garcia says, "I used to have a 110 goats. Now I am down to 20 because of the area out there. I can't take them out there and graze them where there at."

"It depths from 550 to 700 feet deep".

URI officials say exploring for uranium is similar to looking for oil, exploring deep into the earth for uranium.

Mark Pelizza, U-R-I Vice President, "So it's not the exploration that causes any kind of contamination. It's mother nature who has put the uranium there and mother nature has cause it to occur naturally."

We toured the exploration plant near Garcia Hills. They showed us how they prevent contamination.

Pelizza says, "The whole area has a curve and it's drained. So if there is any dripping or leakage in any tanks or pipes. It's all contained so there is no discharged to the environment from this facility."

When drilling, they contend they take additional steps to protect the environment.

Pelizza says, "This is a sealed tool where there is nothing emitted from the tool that can cause any kind of contamination."

But opponents don't believe that. Uranium is extracted by pumping oxygenated water into sandy aquifers below South Texas. Environmentalists claim that's the problem.

Uranium mining opponent Mark Walsh says, "When you get down to where putting oxygen into the sands and the rock formation, then all of the liquid is spread around in that area. There is no containment there."

URI says that's incorrect. They have done what's required to protect the public.

Pelizza says, "To this day, I haven't heard anyone say where there a drinking water supply that's been harmed as a result of uranium mining in the state of Texas."

Nevertheless, uranium mining opponents are taking aim at companies like URI and are working for a moratorium to halt uranium mining in Texas.

Manuel De La Rosa area 3 news Ricardo.