Water system delivers

Re “Burn area’s water plan stagnated,” Jan. 12

The Times’ story is highly misleading. In the face of the worst fire in the community’s history, the water system operated by the Yorba Linda Water District functioned very well. The firestorm threatened about 9,500 homes; access to water may have affected five homes, according to the fire authority.

The water system delivered tremendous volumes of water to the firefighters, far exceeding its design capacity. A report detailing the specifics is available on our website at ylwd.com. Though the district strives to minimize water service interruptions, to expect unhindered service during an event of this magnitude is simply unrealistic.

The Hidden Hills Reservoir project was a high priority before this tragic event and continues to be now. Any assertion to the contrary is simply untrue.

The project is in its final permitting stages and will be put out for bid in the next few days; we expect construction to begin by May and to have the reservoir in service by the end of 2010.

Kenneth Vecchiarelli

Yorba Linda

The writer is the general manger of the Yorba Linda water district.