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Basis of Presentation and Recent Developments
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2022
Basis of Presentation and Recent Developments [Abstract]  
Basis of Presentation and Recent Developments

Note 1 – Basis of Presentation and Recent Developments

Middlesex Water Company (Middlesex or the Company) is the parent company and sole shareholder of Tidewater Utilities, Inc. (Tidewater), Pinelands Water Company (Pinelands Water) and Pinelands Wastewater Company (Pinelands Wastewater) (collectively, Pinelands), Utility Service Affiliates, Inc. (USA), and Utility Service Affiliates (Perth Amboy) Inc. (USA-PA). Southern Shores Water Company, LLC (Southern Shores) and White Marsh Environmental Systems, Inc. (White Marsh) are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Tidewater. The financial statements for Middlesex and its wholly-owned subsidiaries are reported on a consolidated basis. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

The consolidated notes within the 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K (the 2021 Form 10-K) are applicable to these financial statements and, in the opinion of the Company, the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements contain all adjustments necessary (including normal recurring accruals) to present fairly the financial position as of March 31, 2022 and the results of operations and cash flows for the three month periods ended March 31, 2022 and 2021. Information included in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2021, has been derived from the Company’s December 31, 2021 audited financial statements included in the 2021 Form 10-K.

Recent Developments

Regulatory Notice of Non-Compliance - In September 2021, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) issued a Notice of Non-Compliance (Notice) to Middlesex based on self-reporting by Middlesex that the level of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) in water treated at its Park Avenue Wellfield Treatment Plant in South Plainfield, New Jersey exceeded a recently promulgated NJDEP standard effective in 2021. Neither the NJDEP nor Middlesex has characterized this exceedance as an acute health threat. However, Middlesex was required to notify its affected customers and complied in November 2021 as required by the regulation. Further, the Notice required the Company to take any action necessary to comply with the new standard by September 7, 2022.

The NJDEP standard for PFOA was developed based on a Health-based Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 14 parts per trillion (ppt). Although the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has not yet implemented a regulation relative to PFOA, the water distributed from the Park Avenue Wellfield Treatment Plant does meet the USEPA’s current health advisory level of 70 ppt and would meet the NJDEP’s pre-2021 standard guidance level of 40 ppt, which was not a regulation. Construction of an enhanced treatment process at the Park Avenue Wellfield Treatment Plant to comply with an anticipated NJDEP standard, at a level which is unknown at this time, had already begun prior to the regulation being enacted. Since completion is not expected until mid-2023, in December 2021, the Company implemented an interim solution to meet the Notice requirements. The Park Avenue Wellfield Treatment Plant was taken off-line and alternate sources of supply have been obtained. The Company is in the process of implementing an acceleration of a portion of the Park Avenue Wellfield treatment upgrades in order to meet anticipated increases in the historical higher water demand periods during the summer months. This is also intended to result in compliance with the requirements of the Notice.

In November 2021, the Company was served with two PFOA-related class action lawsuits seeking restitution for medical, water replacement and other claimed related costs. These lawsuits are in the early stages of the legal process and their ultimate resolution cannot be predicted at this time. The Company’s insurance provider has acknowledged coverage of potential liability which may result from these lawsuits.

In January 2022, the Company filed a petition with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) seeking to establish a regulatory asset and deferred accounting treatment until its next base rate setting proceeding for all costs associated with the interim solution to comply with the Notice.

While the Company believes monetary penalties are unlikely, the issuance of the Notice does not preclude the State of New Jersey or any of its agencies from initiating formal administrative and/or judicial enforcement action, including assessment of penalties of up to $25,000 per day per offense if the Company is not in compliance with the requirements of the Notice by September 7, 2022.

Sale of SubsidiaryIn January 2022, Middlesex closed on the Delaware Public Service Commission (DEPSC) approved sale of 100% of the common stock of its subsidiary Tidewater Environmental Services, Inc. to Artesian Wastewater Management, Inc. for $6.4 million in cash and other consideration, resulting in a $5.2 million pre-tax gain. The Company will continue to own and operate its non-regulated water and wastewater contract operations business in Delaware.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic – On April 13, 2022, the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services renewed the determination that a nationwide health emergency exists as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic. While the Company’s operations and capital construction program have not been materially disrupted to date from the pandemic, the COVID-19 impact on economic conditions nationally continues to be uncertain and could affect the Company’s results of operations, financial condition and liquidity in the future. In New Jersey, the declared COVID-19 State of Emergency ended on March 7, 2022. In Delaware, the declared COVID-19 State of Emergency Order ended in July 2021.

The NJBPU and the DEPSC have approved the tracking of COVID-19 related incremental costs for potential recovery in customer rates in future rate proceedings. Neither jurisdiction has established a timetable or definitive formal procedures for seeking cost recovery. Since March 2020, the Company has increased its allowance for doubtful accounts for expected increases in accounts receivable write-offs due to the financial impact of COVID-19 on customers. Since the ultimate rate treatment to be determined by the NJBPU regarding incremental costs related to COVID-19 is not definitively known at this time, the Company has not deferred any such costs. We will continue to monitor the effects of COVID-19 and evaluate its impact on the Company’s results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.

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Recent Accounting Guidance

There is no new adopted or proposed accounting guidance that the Company is aware of that could have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.