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Regulatory Matters: | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2016
Regulated Operations [Abstract] |
Regulatory Matters | Regulatory Matters: In accordance with accounting principles for rate-regulated enterprises, Registrant records regulatory assets, which represent probable future recovery of costs from customers through the ratemaking process, and regulatory liabilities, which represent probable future refunds that are to be credited to customers through the ratemaking process. At March 31, 2016, Registrant had approximately $54.0 million of regulatory assets, net of regulatory liabilities, not accruing carrying costs. Of this amount, $23.7 million relates to the underfunded position in Registrant's pension and other post-retirement obligations, $7.2 million relates to a memorandum account authorized by the CPUC to track unrealized gains and losses on BVES' purchase power contracts over the term of the contracts, and $16.6 million relates to deferred income taxes representing accelerated tax benefits flowed through to customers, which will be included in rates concurrently with recognition of the associated future tax expense. The remainder relates to other items that do not provide for or incur carrying costs. Regulatory assets represent costs incurred by GSWC for which it has received or expects to receive rate recovery in the future. In determining the probability of costs being recognized in other periods, GSWC considers regulatory rules and decisions, past practices, and other facts or circumstances that would indicate if recovery is probable. If the CPUC determines that a portion of GSWC’s assets are not recoverable in customer rates, GSWC must determine if it has suffered an asset impairment that requires it to write-down the assets’ value. Regulatory assets are offset against regulatory liabilities within each rate-making area. Amounts expected to be collected or refunded in the next 12-months have been classified as current assets and current liabilities by rate-making area. Regulatory assets, less regulatory liabilities, included in the consolidated balance sheets are as follows:
(dollars in thousands) |  | March 31, 2016 |  | December 31, 2015
GSWC |  |  |  |
Water Revenue Adjustment Mechanism, net of Modified Cost Balancing Account |  | $ | 53,948 |  |  | $ | 45,171 |
Costs deferred for future recovery on Aerojet case |  | 12,567 |  |  | 12,699 |
Pensions and other post-retirement obligations (Note 7) |  | 25,538 |  |  | 21,996 |
Derivative unrealized loss (Note 4) |  | 7,245 |  |  | 7,053 |
Flow-through taxes, net (Note 6) |  | 16,551 |  |  | 16,176 |
Low income rate assistance balancing accounts |  | 8,810 |  |  | 8,699 |
Other regulatory assets |  | 25,298 |  |  | 25,668 |
Various refunds to customers |  | (5,759 | ) |  | (4,766 | )
Total |  | $ | 144,198 |  |  | $ | 132,696 |
Regulatory matters are discussed in detail in the consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in the Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 filed with the SEC. The discussion below focuses on significant matters and developments since December 31, 2015. Alternative-Revenue Programs: GSWC records the difference between what it bills its water customers and that which is authorized by the CPUC using the Water Revenue Adjustment Mechanism (“WRAM”) and Modified Cost Balancing Account (“MCBA”) accounts approved by the CPUC. The over- or under-collection of the WRAM is netted against the MCBA over- or under-collection for the corresponding rate-making area and bears interest at the current 90-day commercial paper rate. GSWC has implemented surcharges to recover its WRAM/MCBA balances as of December 31, 2015. For the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015, surcharges (net of surcredits) of approximately $1.4 million and $600,000, respectively, were billed to customers to recover previously incurred under-collections in the WRAM/MCBA accounts. During the three months ended March 31, 2016, GSWC recorded additional net under-collections in the WRAM/MCBA accounts of $10.1 million using 2015 adopted revenues since the CPUC has not approved the pending water rate case, which will set new rates for the years 2016 - 2018 as discussed below. As of March 31, 2016, GSWC had a net aggregated regulatory asset of $53.9 million which is comprised of a $55.0 million under-collection in the WRAM accounts and $1.1 million over-collection in the MCBA accounts. As required by the accounting guidance for alternative revenue programs, GSWC is required to collect its WRAM balances, net of its MCBA, within 24 months following the year in which an under-collection is recorded. In April 2012, the CPUC issued a final decision which, among other things, sets the recovery period for under-collected balances that are up to 15% of adopted annual revenues at 18 months or less. For under-collected balances greater than 15%, the recovery period is 19 to 36 months. In addition to adopting a new amortization schedule, the final decision sets a cap on total net WRAM/MCBA surcharges in any given calendar year of 10% of the last authorized revenue requirement. As of March 31, 2016, the recovery periods for the majority of GSWC's WRAM/MCBA balances are primarily within the 12 to 18-month period; however, there were some ratemaking areas that had recovery periods related to the 2015 WRAM balances greater than 24 months. As a result, during the fourth quarter of 2015, GSWC did not record $1.4 million of the 2015 WRAM under-collection balance as revenue. This amount will be recognized as revenue in future periods when it is determined that the amounts will be collected within 24 months. In February 2016, GSWC filed with the CPUC for recovery of the 2015 WRAM balances, including the $1.4 million. Other Regulatory Matters: Pending Water General Rate Case: In 2014, GSWC filed a general rate case (“GRC”) for all of its water regions and the general office to determine new rates for the years 2016-2018. A final decision is expected sometime during 2016. Once the decision is issued, the rates will be retroactive to January 1, 2016. GSWC has settled with the CPUC's Office of Ratepayer Advocates ("ORA") the majority of GSWC’s operating expenses, as well as the consumption levels used to calculate rates for 2016-2018, which reflect the state-mandated conservation targets. The primary unresolved issues relate to GSWC’s capital budget requests and compensation for managerial level employees. At this time, GSWC cannot predict the final outcome of this GRC. The final decision, once issued, could result in a material change to GSWC's net income recorded during the first quarter of 2016, which would need to be adjusted in the quarter that the final decision is issued. Year-to-date 2016 billed revenue has been based on 2015 adopted rates established in the prior GRC. The adopted revenues for 2016, once the CPUC issues a final decision in the current GRC, are expected to be lower than the 2015 adopted levels due primarily to decreases in supply costs caused by lower consumption, depreciation expense resulting from an updated depreciation study, and other operating expenses. As a result of the anticipated reduction in the 2016 adopted revenue level, GSWC has adjusted its water revenues downward for the three months ended March 31, 2016 with corresponding decreases to supply costs, depreciation expense and certain other expenses, to reflect the settled positions with ORA. The adjustment to 2016 recorded water revenues also reflects GSWC’s positions on unresolved capital budget and compensation related issues in the pending GRC. These adjustments did not have a significant impact to pretax operating income for the three months ended March 31, 2016 as the overall reduction in the water margin is mostly offset by the lower depreciation and other operating expenses. Procurement Audits: In December 2011, the CPUC issued a final decision adopting a settlement between GSWC and the CPUC on its investigation of certain work orders and charges paid to a specific contractor used previously for numerous construction projects primarily in one of GSWC's three main geographic water regions. As part of the settlement reached with the CPUC on this matter, GSWC agreed to be subject to three separate independent audits of its procurement practices over a period of 10 years from the date the settlement was approved by the CPUC. The audits cover GSWC’s procurement practices for contracts with other contractors from 1994 forward. The first audit started in 2014 and covered almost a 20-year period from January 1, 1994 through September 30, 2013. In March 2015, the accounting firm engaged by the CPUC to conduct the first independent audit issued its final report to the CPUC’s Division of Water and Audits (“DWA”). The final report, which was issued on a confidential basis, included GSWC's responses to the accounting firm’s findings, as well as the firm’s responses to GSWC's comments. DWA informed GSWC that it does not intend to pursue further investigation, refunds, or penalties in respect of past procurement activities as a result of the final report. Furthermore, in June 2015 the CPUC's Office of Ratepayer Advocates ("ORA") notified the administrative law judge in the ongoing general rate case that, having reviewed the final audit report, its potential concerns with the audit report were satisfied and, as such, ORA withdrew its request to have further review of this matter in the pending general rate case. At this time, GSWC does not believe that a loss associated with any disallowances and/or penalties from this first audit is likely.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for detailed information about regulatory assets and liabilities, including current and noncurrent assets created when regulatory agencies permit the deferral of costs to the balance sheet that would otherwise be required to appear on the company's income statement and would be charged against current expenses or revenues, as well as current and noncurrent liabilities created when regulatory agencies permit. + References No definition available. + Details
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