Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended			180 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2012	Oct. 31, 2011	Oct. 31, 2010	Oct. 31, 2018
Asset Retirement Obligations [Line Items]
Regulatory Non Legal Asset Removal Obligations	$ 464,334,000	$ 438,605,000
Conditional AROs	28,629,000	27,395,000
Cost of removal obligations	492,963,000	466,000,000
Asset Retirement Obligation Roll Forward Analysis Roll Forward
Beginning Of Period	27,395,000	23,295,000
Liabilities Incurred During The Period	1,705,000	3,102,000
Liabilities Settled During The Period	(2,038,000)	(1,493,000)
Accretion	1,570,000	1,365,000
Adjustment To Estimated Cash Flows *	(3,000)	1,126,000
End Of Period	28,629,000	27,395,000	23,295,000
Weighted Average Risk Free Rate	5.73%
Defined Benefit Pension Plans and Defined Benefit Postretirement Plans Disclosure [Abstract]
Near Term Redemption	180 days
Goodwill [Abstract]
Goodwill, Impairment Loss	0	0	0
Inventory Net Abstract
Natural Gas Inventories Not Available For Sale Held by Asset Manager	26,700,000	35,800,000
Movement in Valuation Allowances and Reserves [Roll Forward]
Allowance For Doubtful Accounts Balance At Beginning Of Year	1,347,000	929,000	990,000
Allowance For Doubtful Accounts Charged To Uncollectible Expense	4,584,000	4,842,000	4,886,000
Allowance For Doubtful Accounts Written Off Net Of Recoveries	(4,352,000)	(4,424,000)	(4,947,000)
Allowance For Doubtful Accounts Balance At End Of Year	1,579,000	1,347,000	929,000
Property Plant And Equipment [LineItems]
Depreciation Study Requirement	In North Carolina, we are required to conduct a depreciation study every five years and file the results with the regulatory commission. No such five-year requirement exists in South Carolina or Tennessee; however, we periodically propose revised rates in those states based on depreciation studies.
Weighted Average Depreciation Rate	2.94%	3.19%	3.20%
Allowance for borrowed funds used during construction	25,211,000	8,619,000	9,981,000
Land Purchase And Preparation Cost Plant Held For Future Use	approximately half
Regulatory Assets [Line Items]
Regulatory Assets	293,104,000	200,135,000
Regulatory Assets On Which No Return Is Earned During Recovery Period	400,000
Remaining Recovery Period Of Regulatory Assets For Which No Return On Investment During Recovery Period Is Provided	6 years			15 years
Regulatory Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Liabilities	489,692,000	466,953,000
Investment Measurement [Line Items]
Current trading securities (cost)	134,000	47,000
Noncurrent trading securities(cost)	1,911,000	1,324,000
Current trading securities	157,000	52,000
Noncurrent trading securities	2,131,000	1,439,000
Total trading securities	2,288,000	1,491,000
Total trading securities (cost)	2,045,000	1,371,000
Trade Accounts Receivable And Allowance For Doubtful Accounts [Abstract]
Gas Receivables	55,956,000	55,928,000
Merchandise And Jobbing Receivables	2,323,000	2,454,000
Allowance For Doubtful Accounts	(1,579,000)	(1,347,000)	(929,000)
Trade accounts receivable	56,700,000	57,035,000
Customers Payment Due Date	30 days
Unamortized Debt Expense [Abstract]
Long Term Debt Expense Amortization Period	5 to 30 years
Short Term Debt Expense Amortization Period	5 years
Utility Plant
Intangible Plant	3,374,000	3,377,000
Other Storage Plant	118,277,000	56,064,000
Transmission Plant	866,000,000	652,069,000
Distribution Plant	2,422,988,000	2,347,287,000
General Plant	329,867,000	312,482,000
Asset Retirement Cost	10,819,000	11,156,000
Contribution In Aid Of Construction	(5,147,000)	(5,125,000)
Utility Plant In Service	3,746,178,000	3,377,310,000
Less Accumulated Depreciation	(1,036,814,000)	(974,631,000)
Utility Plant In Service, Net	2,709,364,000	2,402,679,000
Construction work in progress	388,979,000	217,832,000
Plant held for future use	6,743,000	6,751,000
Total Utility Plant, Net	3,105,086,000	2,627,262,000
Money Market Funds Member
Investment Measurement [Line Items]
Current trading securities (cost)	0	0
Noncurrent trading securities(cost)	243,000	217,000
Current trading securities	0	0
Noncurrent trading securities	243,000	217,000
Total trading securities	243,000	217,000
Equity Funds Member
Investment Measurement [Line Items]
Current trading securities (cost)	134,000	47,000
Noncurrent trading securities(cost)	1,668,000	1,107,000
Current trading securities	157,000	52,000
Noncurrent trading securities	1,888,000	1,222,000
Total trading securities	2,045,000	1,274,000
Regulatory Cost Of Removal Obligations
Regulatory Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Liabilities	464,334,000	438,605,000
Amount Due To Customers
Regulatory Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Liabilities	28,000	2,617,000
Deferred Income Taxes
Regulatory Liabilities [Line Items]
Regulatory Liabilities	25,330,000	25,731,000
Unamortized Debt Expense
Regulatory Assets [Line Items]
Regulatory Assets	13,583,000	11,315,000
Amounts Due From Customers
Regulatory Assets [Line Items]
Regulatory Assets	81,626,000	38,649,000
Environmental Costs [Member]
Regulatory Assets [Line Items]
Regulatory Assets	10,202,000	9,644,000
Amount Of Regulatory Costs Approved To Be Accrued Not Included In Rate Base	8,400,000
Deferred Operations And Maintenance Expenses
Regulatory Assets [Line Items]
Regulatory Assets	7,050,000	7,676,000
Deferred Pipeline Integrity Expenses
Regulatory Assets [Line Items]
Regulatory Assets	13,691,000	7,927,000
Deferred Pension and Other Retirement Benefits Costs
Regulatory Assets [Line Items]
Regulatory Assets	20,139,000	22,119,000
Amounts Not Yet Recognized As Component Of Pension and Other Post Retirement Benefit Costs
Regulatory Assets [Line Items]
Regulatory Assets	123,290,000	81,073,000
Amount Of Regulatory Costs Approved To Be Accrued Not Included In Rate Base	123,300,000
Regulatory Costs of Removal Asset
Regulatory Assets [Line Items]
Regulatory Assets	21,129,000	19,336,000
Amount Of Regulatory Costs Approved To Be Accrued Not Included In Rate Base	21,100,000
Other
Regulatory Assets [Line Items]
Regulatory Assets	2,394,000	2,396,000
Unrealized Mark To Market [Member]
Regulatory Assets [Line Items]
Unrealized Mark To Market Amounts On Which No Return Is Earned On Until Recorded	$ 2,200,000
Maximum [Member]
Asset Retirement Obligation Roll Forward Analysis Roll Forward
Credit Adjusted Risk Free Rate	5.87%
Property Plant And Equipment [LineItems]
Property Plant And Equipment Useful Life	88 years
Minimum [Member]
Asset Retirement Obligation Roll Forward Analysis Roll Forward
Credit Adjusted Risk Free Rate	3.86%
Property Plant And Equipment [LineItems]
Property Plant And Equipment Useful Life	4 years