Climate change could nearly double household water bills in vulnerable US cities by mid-century, pushing an extra 7–16% of residents into water poverty, according to new research that offers the most detailed picture yet of how a warming planet will hit household budgets. The study, led by researchers at Stanford University and published in the journal Nature Sustainability, modelled the coastal city of Santa Cruz, California, tracing the chain of cause and effect from shifting rainfall and rising temperatures through to reservoir levels, utility spending decisions, water rates and, ultimately, what shows up on residents’ bills.

Other water rate news:

• Times of San Diego: Opinion: At Sweetwater Authority, water affordability isn’t an accident