A critical year is ahead for the nation’s two largest reservoirs, with no relief after a record-low snowpack and a continuing drought. A comment posted on the Colorado River Basin’s Facebook page Wednesday morning might have said it best: “Not enough water in the Monsoons to help. There’s only 2 things that can save Mead and Powell right now: 150 percent Colorado Rockies snow pack for 5 consecutive years, or God himself.” Projections released Wednesday show Lake Mead dropping to the lowest levels seen since Hoover Dam was built in the 1930s, falling to 1,035.86 feet in November. That’s about 6½ feet lower than Lake Mead’s level today at noon — 1,042.52 feet. Lake Mead is the nation’s largest reservoir, but it’s currently at 27% capacity.

Other Colorado River management news:

• Las Vegas Review-Journal: Lake Mead will keep setting record lows over the next two years, forecasters say
• KJZZ (Phoenix): Should new rules for the Colorado River save some water for the river itself?
• Los Angeles Times: ‘It’ll buy us time’: Feds to pay millions to prop up dwindling Lake Mead
• SFGate: Lake Mead is dry as a bone. California is coming to help.
• Today’s News-Herald (Lake Havasu, Ariz.): ​CRIT seeks stronger protections for senior Colorado River water rights in federal plan
• KTAR (Phoenix): Could Arizona communities share water during shortages? Phoenix is taking the first step
• The Colorado Sun (Denver): Opinion: Colorado water officials can’t demand a sacrifice they aren’t willing to make