September 24, 2009LOS ANGELES — Although the Los Angeles River looks more like a rain-starved trickle these days, parts of this drought-stricken city have been awash in an unusual sight — torrents of floodwater sweeping cars off streets and barbecues out of backyards.
Not a drop of rain has fallen on Los Angeles since June 5, according to the National Weather Service, but aging water pipes have been blowing up at the rate of more than one a day in recent weeks.
From the city's bohemian, beach-front community of Venice to the pre-World War II cottages that dot foothills surrounding the San Fernando Valley, people are becoming increasingly angry, muddy and wet as they watch millions of gallons of water wash away.
