With frightening clarity, November's destructive Southern California wildfires demonstrated the need for cities and counties to maintain adequate water storage in their communities, particularly in residential areas close to brush-covered hills or canyons.

Following the firestorm that tore through the Hidden Hills Estates area of Yorba Linda last month, Orange County fire officials blamed lack of water pressure for the loss of three to five homes.

According to reports, firefighters had to abandon the upper portion of the upscale neighborhood when no water came out of the fire hydrants.

Here in Simi Valley, officials at city hall are working to resolve a water shortage of their own.

In February, the city, acting in its capacity as local Waterworks District No. 8, enacted a moratorium on new requests for water service in the Santa Susana Knolls at the eastern edge of Simi Valley, south of the railroad tracks.

The reason: The Alta Vista water tank, which has a capacity of 126,000 gallons at an elevation of 1,404 feet, is 4,000 gallons below Ventura County's requirement for domestic, emergency and fire storage demands.

The rural area has experienced fires in the past, leading residents to express concern about a lack of water storage.

Still, City Manager Mike Sedell said the situation in the Knolls is different than what occurred in Yorba Linda.

"In our case, it's all gravity flow," Sedell said, pointing out that the tank is at an elevation above the Knolls community. "There's always water pressure, so we wouldn't have that same kind of problem."

Even with the shortage the city manager said he wasn't worried that firefighters wouldn't have had enough resources to protect the Knolls last month.

"There were strike teams stationed at Rocky Peak ready to defend the Knolls if need be, and we felt confident that they were going to be able to do that," Sedell said.

Nevertheless, he described the Knolls' firefighting resources as "barely sufficient" and said the city is actively working to bring its water storage capacity above the minimum requirement.

On Nov. 3, just before the start of last month's fires, the City Council authorized the purchase of property in the Knolls on which to build a new water tank.

The $28,000 purchase is part of a two-pronged approach to solving the Knolls' water issues—a plan that calls for the construction of two new tanks.

In June, the waterworks board directed staff to develop a short-term solution for the Knolls water shortage by adding a second 126,000-gallon tank to sit adjacent to the current Alta Vista tank.

Ron Fuchiwaki, director of public works, said adding the second tank will increase water storage for the area and satisfy fire department standards.

The new tank would be replacing a 27,000-gallon tank that was removed in 2001 because it was severely damaged and leaking.

The site is on the west side of Crown Hill Drive, about 400 feet south of Alta Vista Road.

According to Fuchiwaki, construction on Alta Vista Tank No. 2 should take six to nine months. The city is hoping to begin work in late spring and be finished by the end of summer, he said.

The total cost for the project is estimated to be $250,000 to $300,000.

The city's long-term plan is to build a 1milliongallon water tank in the Knolls at an elevation of 1,466 feet. This large tank would cost the city an estimated $1.82 million and take two to three years to finish.

There is no estimated construction date at this time, but building will probably not begin until 2010, Fuchiwaki said.

"We're currently in the process of obtaining additional land at a higher elevation to place this tank," he said.

Although the city is experiencing an 18 percent drop in revenues and is bracing for a $3million budget shortfall, the water tank projects should not be affected by the current economic crisis since the waterworks district has its own budget separate from Simi's general fund.

Sedell said the district raises funds incrementally over time by setting aside a small amount of money each year for future capital improvement projects.

That way the district does not have to dramatically increase water rates to pay for a needed project like the Knolls water tanks, he said.