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Balancing and Memorandum Account Recovery Procedures (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands | 3 Months Ended | 6 Months Ended |  |
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Jun. 30, 2015 | Jun. 30, 2014 | Jun. 30, 2015 | Jun. 30, 2014 | Mar. 26, 2015 | Jan. 05, 2015
Memorandum Accounts [Roll Forward] |  |  |  |  |  |
Beginning Balance | $ (789) | $ (1,699) | $ (1,377) | $ (1,896) |  |
Revenue Increase(Reduction) | 397 | 187 | 821 | 384 |  |
Refunds (Collections) | 163 | 0 | 327 | 0 |  |
Ending Balance | (229) | (1,512) | (229) | (1,512) |  |
Balancing Accounts [Roll Forward] |  |  |  |  |  |
Beginning Balance | 46,358 | 8,978 | 48,438 | 9,585 |  |
Revenue Increase(Reduction) | 400 | 1,332 | 1,543 | 725 |  |
Refunds (Collections) | (3,809) | 0 | (7,032) | 0 |  |
Ending Balance | 42,949 | 10,310 | 42,949 | 10,310 |  |
Balancing and Memorandum Account [Roll Forward] |  |  |  |  |  |
Beginning Balance | 45,569 | 7,279 | 47,061 | 7,689 |  |
Revenue Increase(Reduction) | 797 | 1,519 | 2,364 | 1,109 |  |
Refunds (Collections) | (3,646) | 0 | (6,705) | 0 |  |
Ending Balance | 42,720 | 8,798 | 42,720 | 8,798 |  |
Authorized Regulatory Surcharge, Gross |  |  | 1,937 |  |  |
Net under-collected balancing and memorandum accounts | 9,122 |  | 9,122 |  |  |
Memorandum Account, Recovery Request |  |  |  |  | $ 9,567 | $ 976
Water supply balancing accounts |  |  |  |  |  |
Balancing Accounts [Roll Forward] |  |  |  |  |  |
Beginning Balance | 825 | (2,772) | 890 | (2,378) |  |
Revenue Increase(Reduction) | 304 | 1,551 | 292 | 1,157 |  |
Refunds (Collections) | (59) | 0 | (112) | 0 |  |
Ending Balance | 1,070 | (1,221) | 1,070 | (1,221) |  |
Pension balancing account |  |  |  |  |  |
Balancing Accounts [Roll Forward] |  |  |  |  |  |
Beginning Balance | 423 | 9,765 | 1,412 | 9,734 |  |
Revenue Increase(Reduction) | 143 | (92) | (463) | (61) |  |
Refunds (Collections) | (427) | 0 | (810) | 0 |  |
Ending Balance | 139 | 9,673 | 139 | 9,673 |  |
Drought Surcharges [Member] |  |  |  |  |  |
Balancing Accounts [Roll Forward] |  |  |  |  |  |
Beginning Balance | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |  |
Revenue Increase(Reduction) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |  |
Refunds (Collections) | (80) | 0 | (80) | 0 |  |
Ending Balance | (80) | 0 | (80) | 0 |  |
Balancing and memorandum accounts, net |  |  |  |  |  |
Balancing Accounts [Roll Forward] |  |  |  |  |  |
Beginning Balance | 43,517 | 0 | 44,400 | 0 |  |
Revenue Increase(Reduction) | 61 | 0 | 1,937 | 0 |  |
Refunds (Collections) | (3,211) | 0 | (5,970) | 0 |  |
Ending Balance | 40,367 | 0 | 40,367 | 0 |  |
Other, net |  |  |  |  |  |
Balancing Accounts [Roll Forward] |  |  |  |  |  |
Beginning Balance | 1,593 | 1,985 | 1,736 | 2,229 |  |
Revenue Increase(Reduction) | (108) | (127) | (223) | (371) |  |
Refunds (Collections) | (32) | 0 | (60) | 0 |  |
Ending Balance | $ 1,453 | $ 1,858 | $ 1,453 | $ 1,858 |  |

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- Definition Authorized Regulatory Surcharge, Gross + References No definition available. + Details
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Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | credit
Period Type: | duration

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- Definition This represents the under-collection or over-collection associated with expense changes and the revenue authorized by the CPUC to offset those expense changes. Pursuant to Section 792.5 of the California Public Utilities Code, a balancing account must be maintained for expense items for which revenue offsets have been authorized. Since the amounts in the balancing accounts must be approved by the CPUC before they can be incorporated into rates, the Company does not recognize balancing accounts in its revenue until CPUC approval occurs. It is typical for the CPUC to incorporate any over-collected and/or under-collected balances in balancing accounts into customer rates at the time rate decisions are made as part of the Company’s general rate case proceedings by assessing temporary surcredits and/or surcharges. + References No definition available. + Details
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- Definition Balancing Account, Refunds (Collections) + References No definition available. + Details
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Namespace Prefix: | sjw_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
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Period Type: | duration

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- Definition Balancing Account, Revenue Increase (Reduction) + References No definition available. + Details
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Namespace Prefix: | sjw_
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- Definition Balancing Accounts [Roll Forward] + References No definition available. + Details
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Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
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- Definition Balancing and Memorandum Account, Net + References No definition available. + Details
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Namespace Prefix: | sjw_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | debit
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- Definition Balancing and Memorandum Account, Refunds (Collections) + References No definition available. + Details
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Namespace Prefix: | sjw_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | credit
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- Definition Balancing and Memorandum Account, Revenue Increase (Reduction), Net + References No definition available. + Details
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Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
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- Definition Balancing and Memorandum Account [Roll Forward] + References No definition available. + Details
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X
- Definition This represents the memorandum accounts that track under-collection or over-collection for approved activities as directed by the CPUC. Rate recovery for these memorandum accounts is generally allowed in the next general rate cases. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | sjw_MemorandumAccountNet
Namespace Prefix: | sjw_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | credit
Period Type: | instant

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- Definition A request to the regulatory authority for authorization to refund over (under) collected amounts. + References No definition available. + Details
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Namespace Prefix: | sjw_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | credit
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- Definition Memorandum Account, Refunds (Collections) + References No definition available. + Details
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Namespace Prefix: | sjw_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
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- Definition Memorandum Account, Revenue Increase (Reduction) + References No definition available. + Details
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Namespace Prefix: | sjw_
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- Definition Memorandum Accounts [Roll Forward] + References No definition available. + Details
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- Definition Regulatory Balancing and Memorandum Accounts,, Net Under-Collected + References No definition available. + Details
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- Details
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- Details
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Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

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- Details
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Period Type: |

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- Details
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- Details
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