Some residents in the coastal bend believe uranium mining has contaminated their ground water supply. Environmentalists who support their claim want a moratorium to halt the mining. Our Manuel De La Rosa has more in part two of South Texas uranium mines.

Uranium fuels nuclear reactors that generate electricity. Nuclear power represents 20% of the nation's power output.

Six new nuclear power plants are planned for Texas. Uranium mining is a goldmine in Texas.

Mark Pelizza, Vice President of Uranium Resource Inc., says "It will be a resource that is looked for and found. As it's found, there will be an opportunity to develop those resources for the production of electricity."

The coastal bend is one of the nation's top producers for uranium. In Ricardo, Garcia Hill residents blame the uranium mining industry for contaminating their ground water. They claim their water has dangerous levels of radioactive elements. Levels substantiated by the EPA. And that's devastating to folks like Humberto Garcia, a life long resident.

Garcia says, "They should have checked into it to make sure it was safe and safe for the people around here."

State leaders, like Coastal Bend State Representative Yvonne Gonzalez-Toureilles heard those complaints. She sponsored a bill that became law last year requiring ground water be restored to its original condition before mining began. Now the tough thing is to sort out the quality of the water before mining.

Gonzalez-Toureilles says, "In a lot of these situations, you just don't know what level of contaminants is in the water pre-exploration and post exploration. So it's good to have that information and mandate that we share it with the ground water districts."

Opponents accuse mining companies of being worried about profits and not public safety.

Mark Walsh, a uranium mining opponent, says "It costs money and time and they don't want to spend money and the time to do that."

The industry contends the ground water is naturally contaminated by uranium.

Pelizza says, "When we show before any mining activity was essentially the same after the mining activities. Those will be facts. It will be hard data. I think it will put people's minds to rest."

Ann Ewing, a resident of Garcia Hills says, "It's insulting for an industry to come in, do what they do as far as the contamination aspect is concerned and then turn around and say oh it was bad to begin with."

Opponents are critical of state agencies that regulate the uranium mining industry. They claim companies are allowed to skirt environmental laws and not return ground water to original standards.

Walsh says, "They have never denied a restoration amendment request. It seems to indicate they have given everybody a chance to leave the water more contaminated than when they found it."

Critics are calling for the industry to stop looking for uranium until they can meet the standards.

Ewing says, "Currently we would like a moratorium on uranium mining until proper rules and regulations are in place to ensure contamination does not occur in other areas, especially in areas where water is being consumed by humans and animals."

Uranium companies say that would destroy the nation's future of power production.

Pelizza says, "I think we need to continue the exploration of uranium and all other energy resources in the state because if we stop producing energy in the united states of America, we're going to have a big problem."

Big problem or not, residents living near uranium mining think their water should not be sacrificed for power needs of nuclear plants.

Manuel De La Rosa area 3 news Ricardo