This paper attempts to identify and characterize the colloids present in the river water around the Jaduguda uranium mines located in Jharkhand, India in order to understand their role in metal transport. The stream receiving direct release of effluent water from the mine tailing is contaminated and the concentration of $\rm{Mn, F^{-}, Na^{+}, SO_{4}^{2-}}$ and $\rm{U}$ is above the maximum permissible. The colloids mostly consist of Mn-oxide, kaolinite, halloysite and Fe(oxy)hydroixe. The concentration of As, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, U and Zn in surface water is very much lower than that of the colloids. This is attributed to the importance of colloids in metal scavenging due to more reactive surface sites. The high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) study further indicates that Mn-oxides plays a most important role in retention and transportation of U in the study area.