VIRGINIA BEACH -- The city of Virginia Beach is prepared to oppose uranium mining, fearful it could threaten its water supply.

The city, as well as other Hampton Roads localities, draws its water from Lake Gaston. The lake on North Carolina's border is about the midway point between Virginia Beach and Pittsylvania County, where the massive uranium deposit is located.

Some 25 years ago, Virginia put a moratorium on uranium mining. In November, the Virginia Commission on Coal and Energy agreed to study the impact of uranium mining.

The study will center on a deposit that contains 119 million pounds of uranium ore valued between $8 billion and $10 billion. Virginia Uranium Inc., a Chatham company, wants to begin mining the yellow cake ore as U.S. interest in nuclear power is rekindled.

At a meeting last week, the Virginia Beach City Council was told that a hurricane or tropical storm could potentially disturb radioactive mining waste. Thomas Leahy, the city's director of public utilities, said that could include contamination of downstream waterways and Lake Gaston.

"It seems that Virginia Beach is in position to be a big loser," said Councilwoman Barbara Henley. The city would get the risk without the economic benefit, she said.

Mining supporters said the state study will look at that issue.

"We drink the water here, and we wouldn't want a situation where a tailings system could be impacted by a hurricane or any other type of disaster," said Walter Coles, who owns the land where the mine is proposed.

He has formed Virginia Uranium to explore mining the uranium.

"It should be an unbiased study," Coles said. "We'll just wait for the study, and we hope uranium can be mined in Virginia just like it's being mined in other parts of the world today."

The city council will consider an official resolution against mining this month.