Lake Mead is projected to sink below record lows in less than two years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

By September 2027, the reservoir will dip to 1,038.48 feet above sea level, the federal government’s “most probable” projection for the next two years shows.

That’s more than 2 feet under the lake’s lowest level, recorded in the summer of 2022, signaling that water managers aren’t expecting snowpack in the Rocky Mountains to deliver the Colorado River system from an over-two-decade-long period of mega-drought any time soon.

Lake Mead is of particular importance to Las Vegas residents, as it’s the source of about 90 percent of Southern Nevada’s water supply. Though Nevada has the smallest share to draw from the Colorado River of any state by far, water managers pull more

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