Lawsuits pile up over further fish protection

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As few as 50 tiny longfin smelt would be protected by Delta pumping restrictions that could further crimp the water supply for 25 million Californians, water users said Tuesday in a trio of lawsuits filed against the state. Districts that supply water to cities and farms from the Bay Area to San Diego say the restrictions, approved last month by the California Fish and Game Commission, are disproportionate and do not reflect the best science. The restrictions are in effect until mid-February, when the commission is expected to vote on whether the longfin smelt - a close cousin of the threatened Delta smelt - should receive permanent protection under state endangered species laws. The well-chronicled decline of the Delta smelt already has led to severe cutbacks in how much water can be pumped from the state and federal facilities near Tracy. Now attention has turned to the longfin smelt. The added restrictions approved last month are double trouble, especially in a drought year, water users say....