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Commitments and contingencies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2011
Commitments and contingencies | 18. Commitments and contingencies Commitments The Company has entered into a lease for its corporate headquarters for approximately 5,451 square feet of office space at the Regatta Office Park, West Bay Road, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. This lease expires April 30, 2014. Aquilex has leased approximately 6,500 square feet of office space in Coral Springs, Florida through April 2016, and has leased approximately 4,100 square feet of warehouse space in Sunrise, Florida through October 2015. Future minimum lease payments under these non-cancelable operating leases as of December 31, 2011 are as follows:
2012 |  | $ | 470,765 |
2013 |  |  | 482,704 |
2014 |  |  | 308,945 |
2015 |  |  | 217,336 |
2016 |  |  | 47,216 |
|  | $ | 1,526,966 |
Total rental expense for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 was $464,355, $384,860 and $373,099, respectively. The Company is obligated to supply water, where feasible, to customers in the Cayman Islands within its license area in accordance with the terms of the license. Royalties are paid to the Government of the Cayman Islands at the rate of 7.5% of gross water sales. The Company has seven water supply agreements under which it is required to provide minimum water quantities. The Company has entered into employment agreements with certain executives, which expire through December 31, 2013 and provide for, among other things, base annual salaries in an aggregate amount of $2.6 million, performance bonuses and various employee benefits. Expiration and Renewal of Retail License In the Cayman Islands, the Company provides water to retail customers under a 20-year license issued to Cayman Water in July 1990 by the Cayman Islands government that grants the Company the exclusive right to provide water to retail customers within our licensed service area. The Company’s service area is comprised of an area on Grand Cayman that includes the Seven Mile Beach and West Bay areas, two of the three most populated areas in the Cayman Islands. For the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company generated approximately 42% of its consolidated revenues and 51% of its consolidated gross profits from the retail water operations conducted pursuant to our exclusive license. If Cayman Water is not in default of any terms of the license, the Company has a right of first refusal to renew the license on terms that are no less favorable than those that the government offers to any third party. This license was set to expire on July 10, 2010 however the Company and the Cayman Islands government have agreed in correspondence to extend the license seven times in order to provide sufficient time to negotiate the terms of a new license agreement. We were advised by letter dated February 16, 2012 from Water Authority-Cayman that the government had approved an extension of the License until June 30, 2012. We are currently waiting for government to execute such license extension. On February 14, 2011, the Water Production and Supply Law, 2011 (which replaces the Water (Production and Supply) Law (1996 Revision) under which the Company is licensed) and the Water Authority (Amendment) Law, 2011 (the “New Laws”) were published on terms that they would come into force on such date as may be appointed by Order made by the Governor in Cabinet. Such Order was subsequently made by Cabinet and the New Laws are now in full force and effect. Under the New Laws, the Water Authority-Cayman would issue any new license which could include a rate of return on invested capital model described below. The Company has been informed during its retail license renewal negotiations conducted with representatives of the Cayman Islands government that the Cayman Islands government seeks to restructure the terms of its license to employ a “rate of return on invested capital model” similar to that governing the sale of water to many U.S. municipalities. The Company has formally objected to the implementation of a “rate of return on invested capital model” on the basis that it believes that such a model would not promote the efficient operation of its water utility and could ultimately increase water rates to its customers. The Company believes such a model, if ultimately implemented, could significantly reduce the operating income and cash flows the Company has historically generated from its retail license and require the Company to record an impairment loss to reduce the $1.2 million carrying value of its retail segment’s goodwill. Such impairment loss could be material to the Company’s results of operations. If a new long-term license agreement is not entered into with the government, the Company would retain a right of first refusal to renew the license on terms that are no less favorable than those that the government might offer in the future to a third party. If the Company does not enter into a new license agreement, and no other party is awarded a license, the Company expects to be permitted to continue to supply water to its service area. However, the terms of such continued supply may not be as favorable to the Company as the terms in the July 11, 1990 license agreement. It is possible that the government could offer a third party a license to service some or all of the Company’s present service area. In such event, the Company may assume the license offered to the third party by exercising its right of first refusal. The terms of the new license agreement may not be as favorable to the Company as the terms under which the Company is presently operating and could reduce the operating income and cash flows the Company has historically generated from its retail license and require the Company to record an impairment loss to reduce the $1.2 million carrying value of its retail segment’s goodwill. Such impairment loss could be material to the Company’s results of operations. The Company is presently unable to determine what impact the resolution of this matter will have on its cash flows, financial condition or results of operations. Other Contingencies As part of the acquisition of the Company’s interests in Ocean Conversion (Cayman) Limited, with the approval of Scotiabank (Cayman Islands) Ltd., the Company has guaranteed the performance of Ocean Conversion (Cayman) Limited to the Cayman Islands government, pursuant to the water supply contract with the Water Authority-Cayman dated April 25, 1994, as amended. As a result of the Company’s acquisition of interests in CW-Bahamas, it guaranteed the performance of CW-Bahamas to the Water and Sewerage Corporation of the Bahamas (“WSC”) in relation to the water supply contract between CW-Bahamas and the WSC. In the event that CW-Bahamas cannot provide the minimum water quantity per the contract, it must reimburse the WSC for the cost of water it would have to obtain from other sources, at the per U.S. gallon rate charged by CW-Bahamas to the WSC. By Statutory Instrument No. 81 of 2009, the Minister of Public Utilities of the government of Belize published an order, the Public Utility Provider Class Declaration Order, 2009 (the “Order”), which as of May 1, 2009 designated CW-Belize as public utility provider under the laws of Belize. With this designation, the Public Utilities Commission of Belize (the “PUC”) has the authority to set the rates charged by CW-Belize and to otherwise regulate its activities. On November 1, 2010, CW-Belize received a formal complaint from the PUC alleging that CW-Belize was operating without a license under the terms of the Water Industry Act. CW-Belize applied for this license in December 2010. On July 29, 2011, the PUC issued the San Pedro Public Water Supply Quality and Security Complaint Order (the “Second Order”) which among other things requires that (i) CW-Belize and its customer jointly make a submission to the responsible Minister requesting that the area surrounding CW-Belize’s seawater abstraction wells be designated a forest reserve or national park and be designated a Controlled Area under section 58 of the Water Industry Act, (ii) CW-Belize submit an operations manual for CW-Belize’s desalination plant to the PUC for approval, (iii) CW-Belize and its customer modify the water supply agreement between the parties to (a) include new water quality parameters included in the Order and (b) cap the current exclusive water supply arrangement in the agreement at maximum of 450,000 gallons per day, (iv) CW-Belize keeps a minimum number of replacement seawater RO membranes in stock at all times and (v) CW-Belize takes possession of and reimburses the PUC for certain equipment which the PUC purchased from a third-party in late 2010. CW-Belize has applied for declaratory judgment and has been granted a temporary injunction to stay the enforcement of the Second Order by the PUC until such time as the matter can be heard by the Belize courts. The Company is presently unable to determine what impact the Order and the Second Order will have on its results of operations, financial position or cash flows.

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