Commitment and Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2016

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitment and Contingencies

Commitment and Contingencies

Commitments

The Company has significant commitments to lease certain office spaces and water systems and to purchase water from water wholesalers. These commitments are described in Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015.  As of March 31, 2016, there were no significant changes from December 31, 2015.

Contingencies

Groundwater Contamination

The Company has undertaken litigation against third parties to recover past and anticipated costs related to groundwater contamination in our service areas. The cost of litigation is expensed as incurred and any settlement is first offset against such costs. The CPUC’s general policy requires all proceeds from groundwater contamination litigation to be used first to pay transactional expenses, then to make ratepayers whole for water treatment costs to comply with the CPUC’s water quality standards. The CPUC allows for a risk-based consideration of contamination proceeds which exceed the costs of the remediation described above and may result in some sharing of proceeds with the shareholder, determined on a case by case basis. The CPUC has authorized various memorandum accounts that allow the Company to track significant litigation costs to request recovery of these costs in future filings and uses of proceeds to comply with CPUC’s general policy.

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

From time to time, the Company is involved in various disputes and litigation matters that arise in the ordinary course of business. The status of each significant matter is reviewed and assessed for potential financial exposure. If the potential loss from any claim or legal proceeding is considered probable and the amount of the range of loss can be estimated, a liability is accrued for the estimated loss in accordance with the accounting standards for contingencies. Legal proceedings are subject to uncertainties, and the outcomes are difficult to predict. Because of such uncertainties, accruals are based on the best information available at the time. While the outcome of these disputes and litigation matters cannot be predicted with any certainty, management does not believe when taking into account existing reserves the ultimate resolution of these matters will materially affect the Company’s financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.  The Company recognized a liability of $3.4 million and $3.5 million for known legal matters as of March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively. The cost of litigation is expensed as incurred and any settlement is first offset against such costs.  Any settlement in excess of the cost to litigate is accounted for on a case by case basis, dependent on the nature of the settlement.