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Revenues
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2020
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]  
Revenues Revenues
Most of Registrant's revenues are accounted for under the revenue recognition accounting standard, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers - (Topic 606)."
GSWC and BVESI provide utility services to customers as specified by the CPUC. The transaction prices for water and electric revenues are based on tariff rates authorized by the CPUC, which include both quantity-based and flat-rate charges. Tariff revenues represent the adopted revenue requirement authorized by the CPUC intended to provide GSWC and BVESI with an opportunity to recover its costs and earn a reasonable return on its net capital investment. The annual revenue requirements are comprised of operation and maintenance costs, administrative and general costs, depreciation and taxes in amounts authorized by the CPUC and a return on rate base consistent with the capital structure authorized by the CPUC.
Water and electric revenues are recognized over time as customers simultaneously receive and use the utility services provided. Water and electric revenues include amounts billed to customers on a cyclical basis, nearly all of which are based on meter readings for services provided. Customer bills also include surcharges for cost-recovery activities, which represent CPUC-authorized balancing and memorandum accounts that allow for the recovery of previously incurred operating costs. Revenues from these surcharges do not impact earnings as they are offset by corresponding increases in operating expenses to reflect the recovery of the associated costs. Customer payment terms are approximately 20 business days from the billing date. Unbilled revenues are amounts estimated to be billed for usage since the last meter-reading date to the end of the accounting period. The most recent customer billed usage forms the basis for estimating unbilled revenue.
GSWC and BVESI bill certain sales and use taxes levied by state or local governments to its customers. Included in these sales and use taxes are franchise fees, which are paid to various municipalities and counties (based on their ordinances) in order to use public rights of way for utility purposes. GSWC and BVESI bill these franchise fees to its customers based on a CPUC-authorized rate for each ratemaking area as applicable. These franchise fees, which are required to be paid regardless of GSWC’s or BVESI's ability to collect them from its customers, are accounted for on a gross basis. Franchise fees billed to customers and recorded as operating revenue were approximately $3.8 million, $4.0 million and $3.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. When GSWC or BVESI act as an agent, and a tax is not required to be remitted if it is not collected from customers, the tax is accounted for on a net basis.
As currently authorized by the CPUC, GSWC and BVESI record in revenues the difference between the adopted level of volumetric revenues as authorized by the CPUC for metered accounts (volumetric revenues) and the actual volumetric revenues recovered in customer rates.  For GSWC, the difference is tracked under the Water Revenue Adjustment Mechanism (“WRAM”) regulatory accounts, and for BVESI the difference is tracked in the Base Revenue Requirement Adjustment Mechanism ("BRRAM") regulatory account. If this difference results in an under-collection of revenues, additional revenue is recorded only to the extent that the difference is expected to be collected within 24 months following the year in which they are recorded in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 980, Regulated Operations.
ASUS's 50-year firm fixed-price contracts with the U.S. government are considered service concession arrangements under ASC 853 Service Concession Arrangements. Accordingly, the services under these contracts are accounted for under Topic 606 Revenue from Contracts with Customers and the water and/or wastewater systems are not recorded as Property, Plant and Equipment on Registrant’s balance sheet. For ASUS, performance obligations consist of (i) performing ongoing operation and maintenance of the water and/or wastewater systems and treatment plants for each military base served, and (ii) performing construction activities (including renewal and replacement capital work) on each military base served. The transaction price for each performance obligation is either delineated in, or initially derived from, the applicable 50-year contract and/or any subsequent contract modifications. Depending on the state in which operations are conducted, the Military Utility Privatization Subsidiaries are also subject to certain state non-income tax assessments which are accounted for on a gross basis and have been immaterial to date.
The ongoing performance of operation and maintenance of the water and/or wastewater systems and treatment plants is viewed as a single performance obligation for each 50-year contract with the U.S. government. Registrant recognizes revenue for operations and maintenance fees monthly using the "right to invoice" practical expedient under ASC Topic 606. ASUS has a right to consideration from the U.S. government in an amount that corresponds directly to the value to the U.S. government of ASUS’s performance completed to-date. The contractual operations and maintenance fees are firm-fixed, and the level of effort or resources expended in the performance of the operations-and-maintenance-fees performance obligation is largely consistent over the 50-year term. Therefore, Registrant has determined that the monthly amounts invoiced for operations and maintenance performance are a fair reflection of the value transferred to the U.S. government. Invoices to the U.S. government for operations and maintenance service, as well as construction activities, are due upon receipt.
ASUS's construction activities consist of various projects to be performed. Each of these projects' transaction prices are delineated either in the 50-year contract or through a specific contract modification for each construction project, which includes the transaction price for that project. Each construction project is viewed as a separate, single performance obligation. Therefore, it is generally unnecessary to allocate a construction transaction price to more than one construction performance
obligation. Revenues for construction activities are recognized over time, with progress toward completion measured based on the input method using costs incurred relative to the total estimated costs (cost-to-cost method). Due to the nature of these construction projects, Registrant has determined the cost-to-cost input measurement to be the best method to measure progress towards satisfying its construction contract performance obligations, as compared to using an output measurement such as units produced. Changes in job performance, job site conditions, change orders and/or estimated profitability may result in revisions to costs and income for ASUS, and are recognized in the period in which any such revisions are determined. Pre-contract costs for ASUS, which consist of design and engineering labor costs, are deferred if recovery is probable, and are expensed as incurred if recovery is not probable.  Deferred pre-contract costs have been immaterial to date.
Contracted services revenues recognized during the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 and from performance obligations satisfied in previous periods were not material.
Although GSWC and BVESI have a diversified base of residential, commercial, industrial and other customers, revenues derived from residential and commercial customers account for nearly 90% of total water revenues, and 90% of total electric revenues. The vast majority of ASUS's revenues are from the U.S. government. For the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018, disaggregated revenues from contracts with customers by segment are as follows:
(dollar in thousands)For The Year Ended December 31, 2020For The Year Ended December 31, 2019For The Year Ended December 31, 2018
Water:
Tariff-based revenues$329,670 $305,244 298,818 
CPUC-approved surcharges (cost-recovery activities)3,736 4,322 2,962 
Other2,100 2,006 1,813 
Water revenues from contracts with customers
335,506 311,572 303,593 
WRAM under/(over)-collection (alternative revenue program)
(4,869)8,258 (8,335)
Total water revenues
330,637 319,830 295,258 
Electric:
Tariff-based revenues35,283 36,628 34,501 
CPUC-approved surcharges (cost-recovery activities)686 410 214 
Electric revenues from contracts with customers
35,969 37,038 34,715 
BRRAM under/(over)-collection (alternative revenue program)
1,055 2,510 (365)
Total electric revenues37,024 39,548 34,350 
Contracted services:
Water 74,898 59,868 62,273 
Wastewater45,684 54,623 44,935 
Contracted services revenues from contracts with customers120,582 114,491 107,208 
Total revenues$488,243 $473,869 $436,816 
The opening and closing balances of the receivable from the U.S. government, contract assets and contract liabilities from contracts with customers, which related entirely to ASUS, are as follows:    
(dollar in thousands)December 31, 2020December 31, 2019
Unbilled receivables$14,924 $10,467 
Receivable from the U.S. government$74,670 $64,819 
Contract assets$10,257 $15,631 
Contract liabilities$1,800 $11,167 
    
Unbilled receivables and Receivable from the U.S. government represent receivables where the right to payment is conditional only by the passage of time. The increase in unbilled receivables as of December 31, 2020 as compared to
December 31, 2019 was due to the completion in 2020 of construction project at Fort Riley, which will be collected in installments from the U.S. government over a 5-year period and government delays in issuing funding modifications at Fort Bliss for the recurring fixed monthly charges.
Contract Assets - Contract assets are those of ASUS and consist of unbilled revenues recognized from work-in-progress construction projects where the right to payment is conditional on something other than the passage of time. The classification of this asset as current or noncurrent is based on the timing of when ASUS expects to bill these amounts.
Contract Liabilities - Contract liabilities are those of ASUS and consist of billings in excess of revenue recognized. The classification of this liability as current or noncurrent is based on the timing of when ASUS expects to recognize revenue. Revenues for the year ended December 31, 2020 that were included in contract liabilities at the beginning of the period were $10.9 million.
As of December 31, 2020, Registrant's aggregate remaining performance obligations, all of which are for the contracted services segment, was $3.2 billion. Registrant expects to recognize revenue on these remaining performance obligations over the remaining terms of each of the 50-year contracts, which range from 34 to 48 years. Each of the contracts with the U.S. government is subject to termination, in whole or in part, prior to the end of its 50-year term for the convenience of the U.S. government.