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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2016
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES [Abstract] |
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | NOTE 10 COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES Leases In October 1997, Artesian Water entered into a 33 year operating lease for a parcel of land with improvements located in South Bethany, a municipality in Sussex County, Delaware. The annual lease payments increase each year by the most recent increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Workers, CPI-U, as published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. At each eleventh year of the lease term, the annual lease payment shall be determined based on the fair market value of the parcel of land. Rental payments for 2016, 2015 and 2014 were $16,000, $16,000, and $15,900, respectively. Since the CPI-U in 2016 was less than the CPI-U in 2015, the future minimum rental payment as disclosed in the following table is calculated using CPI-U as of October 31, 2015 as well as any adjustments for appraisals conducted to determine the fair market value of the parcel of land. During 2003, Artesian Resources entered into a 40 year easement agreement to acquire an easement to access, operate, maintain, repair, improve, replace and connect Artesian's water system to a well, including a parcel of land around the well. Easement payments for 2016, 2015 and 2014 were $36,000, $35,000 and $34,000, respectively. Artesian Wastewater entered into a perpetual agreement for the use of approximately 460 acres of land in Sussex County, Delaware for wastewater disposal. Beginning January 2007, Artesian Wastewater is required to pay a minimum of $40,000 per year for the use of this land. Beginning January 2012, and on each anniversary thereof until January 2027, the fee shall be adjusted upwards by an adjustment factor of two percent. Once disposal operations begin, the monthly fee will be contingent on the average number of gallons of wastewater disposed on the properties. Payments for 2016, 2015 and 2014 were $44,000, $43,000 and $43,000, respectively. The agreement can be terminated by giving 180 day notice prior to the termination date. Future minimum annual rental payments related to non-cancellable operating leases for the years subsequent to 2016 are as follows:
In thousands |  |  |
2017 |  | $ | 76 |
2018 |  |  | 54 |
2019 |  |  | 56 |
2020 |  |  | 57 |
2021 |  |  | 58 |
2022 through 2043 |  |  | 1,394 |
|  | $ | 1,695 |
Interconnections Artesian Water has one water service interconnection agreement with a neighboring utility, Chester Water Authority, which requires minimum annual purchases. Rates charged under this agreement are subject to change. Effective August 1, 1997, Artesian Water renegotiated the contract with the Chester Water Authority to, among other things, reduce the minimum purchase requirements from 1,459 million gallons to 1,095 million gallons annually, calculated as 3 million gallons per day times the number of calendar days in a year. The agreement is extended through the year 2021. The minimum annual purchase commitments for all interconnection agreements for 2017 through 2021, calculated at the noticed rates, are as follows:
In thousands |  |  |
2017 |  |  | 3,824 |
2018 |  |  | 3,824 |
2019 |  |  | 3,825 |
2020 |  |  | 3,834 |
2021 |  |  | 3,825 |
|  | $ | 19,132 |
Expenses for purchased water were $4.0 million for each of the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014. Other Commitments In 2013, Artesian Water entered into a 3-year agreement with Worldwide Industries Corporation to clean and paint tanks in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Pursuant to the 3-year agreement, the expenditure committed in total for the years 2014 through 2016 is $804,000. In 2014, the 3-year agreement with Worldwide Industries Corporation was amended to include an additional $113,000 in expenditures related to cleaning and painting tanks. In March 2017, Artesian Water entered in a 3-year agreement with Worldwide Industries Corporation to clean and paint tanks in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Pursuant to the 3-year agreement, the expenditure committed in total for the years 2017 through 2019 is $1.3 million. The tank painting expense for 2016, 2015 and 2014 was $528,000, $329,000, and $342,000. Budgeted mandatory utility plant expenditures, due to planned governmental highway projects, which require the relocation of Artesian Water's water service mains, expected to be incurred in 2017 through 2019 are as follows:
In thousands |  |  |
2017 |  | $ | 4,735 |
2018 |  |  | 2,165 |
2019 |  |  | 1,130 |
|  | $ | 8,030 |
The exact timing and extent of these relocation projects is controlled primarily by the Delaware Department of Transportation. Litigation Artesian Resources and its subsidiaries are subject to legal proceedings in the ordinary course of business. Any amounts from such legal proceedings that are probable and reasonably estimable are reflected in the financial statements.

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