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CONTINGENCIES
3 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2024
Loss Contingency [Abstract]  
CONTINGENCIES CONTINGENCIES
 
Legal and Regulatory Matters
 
Barnwell is routinely involved in disputes with third parties that occasionally require litigation. In addition, Barnwell is required to maintain compliance with all current governmental controls and regulations in the ordinary course of business. Barnwell’s management is not aware of any claims or litigation involving Barnwell that are likely to have a material adverse effect on its results of operations, financial position or liquidity.

In fiscal 2020, the Staff of the State of Hawaii’s Commission on Water Resource Management (“Commission”) circulated a draft of a proposed recommendation to the Commission under which the Company, the water utility, the water utility's independent hydrologist firm and the owner of the land on which two water wells were drilled would be assessed penalty fines because each of the wells were calculated to have been drilled beyond the depth permitted by the permit. The wells were drilled to a depth to penetrate certain layers of impermeable rock necessary to access the aquifer at the instructions and on the advice of the hydrologist hired by the owner of the well. Subsequently, the Staff of the Commission
acknowledged that one well had not been drilled to a depth beyond its permitted depth and the fines on that well were eliminated. Additionally, the fines applicable to the depth of the second well were dropped in lieu of the parties entering into an agreement to perform a water quality study and repurpose a current well into a monitoring well. The liability related to this contingency was $200,000 at December 31, 2024 and September 30, 2024 and is included in “Accrued operating and other expenses” in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. It is unknown when this contingent liability related to the required drilling of the monitoring well in satisfaction of a regulatory assessment will be settled.