Water levels have dropped to near-record lows in two major Western reservoirs due in part to “unprecedented” snow-related drought, a top NOAA official said Wednesday. Lake Mead and Lake Powell, which supply about 40 million people with water and are fed by the Colorado River, were just 28 percent and 23 percent full on July 3. Both levels are near the record lows recorded in 2022, when Lake Mead fell to 27 percent capacity and Lake Powell dropped to 22 percent.