2 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Revenue

Revenue generally includes monthly cycle customer billings for regulated water and wastewater services at rates authorized by regulatory commissions (plus an estimate for water used between the customer's last meter reading and the end of the accounting period) and billings to certain non-regulated customers at rates authorized by contract with government agencies.

The Company's regulated water and related utility services requirements are authorized by the Commissions in the states in which we operate. The revenue requirements are intended to provide the Company a reasonable opportunity to recover its operating costs and earn a return on investments.

For metered customers, Cal Water recognizes revenue from rates which are designed and authorized by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Under the Water Revenue Adjustment Mechanism (WRAM), Cal Water records the adopted level of volumetric revenues, which would include recovery of cost of service and a return on investments, as established by the CPUC for metered accounts (adopted volumetric revenues). In addition to volumetric-based revenues, the revenue requirements approved by the CPUC include service charges, flat rate charges, and other items not subject to the WRAM. The adopted volumetric revenue considers the seasonality of consumption of water based upon historical averages. The variance between adopted volumetric revenues and actual billed volumetric revenues for metered accounts is recorded as a component of revenue with an offsetting entry to a regulatory asset or liability balancing account (tracked individually for each Cal Water district) subject to certain criteria under the accounting for regulated operations being met. The variance amount may be positive or negative and represents amounts that will be billed or refunded to customers in the future.

Cost-recovery rates are designed to permit full recovery of certain costs allowed to be recovered by the Commissions. Cost-recovery rates such as the Modified Cost Balancing Account (MCBA) provides for recovery of adopted expense levels for purchased water, purchased power and pump taxes, as established by the CPUC. In addition, cost-recovery rates include recovery of costs related to water conservation programs and certain other operating expenses adopted by the CPUC. Variances (which include the effects of changes in both rates and volumes for the MCBA) between adopted and actual costs are recorded as a component of revenue, as the amount of such variances will be recovered from or refunded to our customers at a later date. Cost-recovery expenses are generally recognized when expenses are incurred with no markup for return or profit.

The balances in the WRAM and MCBA assets and liabilities accounts will fluctuate on a monthly basis depending upon the variance between adopted and actual results. The recovery or refund of the WRAM is netted against the MCBA over- or under-recovery for the corresponding district. The recovery or refund of net WRAM and MCBA balances are interest bearing at the current 90 day commercial paper rate. At the end of any calendar year, Cal Water files with the CPUC to refund or collect the balance in the accounts. Most undercollected net WRAM and MCBA receivable balances are collected over 12 or 18 months. Cal Water defers net WRAM and MCBA operating revenues and associated costs whenever the net receivable balances are estimated to be collected more than 24 months after the respective reporting periods in which it was recognized. The deferred net WRAM and MCBA revenues and associated costs were determined using forecasts of rate payer consumption trends for future reporting periods and the timing of when the CPUC will authorize Cal Water's filings to recover the undercollected balances. Deferred net WRAM and MCBA revenues and associated costs will be recognized as revenues and costs in future periods when collection is within twenty-four months of the respective reporting period.

Flat rate customers are billed in advance at the beginning of the service period. The revenue is prorated so that the portion of revenue applicable to the current period is included in that period's revenue, with the remaining balance recorded as unearned revenue on the balance sheet and recognized as revenue when earned in the subsequent accounting period. The unearned revenue liability was $1,530 and $1,464 as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. This liability is included in "other accrued liabilities" on our consolidated balance sheets.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

The Company provides an allowance for doubtful accounts receivable. The allowance is based upon specific identified accounts plus an estimate of uncollectible accounts based upon historical percentages. The balance of customer receivables is net of the allowance for doubtful accounts at December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012 of $697, $668, and $714, respectively.

The activities in the allowance for doubtful accounts are as follows:

	2014			2013			2012
Beginning Balance	$	668		$	714		$	669
Provision for uncollectible accounts		1,561			1,469			1,548
Net write off of uncollectible accounts		(1,532	)		(1,515	)		(1,503	)

Ending Balance	$	697		$	668		$	714

Non-Regulated Revenue

Revenues from non-regulated operations and maintenance agreements are recognized when services have been rendered to companies or municipalities under such agreements. For construction and design services, revenue is generally recognized on the completed contract method, as most projects are completed in less than three months. Other non-regulated revenue is recognized when title has transferred to the buyer, or ratably over the term of the lease.

Utility Plant

Utility plant is carried at original cost when first constructed or purchased, or at fair value when acquired through acquisition. When depreciable plant is retired, the cost is eliminated from utility plant accounts and such costs are charged against accumulated depreciation. Maintenance of utility plant is charged to operating expenses as incurred. Maintenance projects are not accrued for in advance. Interest is capitalized on plant expenditures during the construction period and amounted to $1,535 in 2014, $2,038 in 2013, and $3,401 in 2012.

Intangible assets acquired as part of water systems purchased are recorded at fair value. All other intangibles have been recorded at cost and are amortized over their useful life.

The following table represents depreciable plant and equipment as of December 31:

	2014		2013
Equipment	$	487,845	$	443,439
Office buildings and other structures		194,905		179,023
Transmission and distribution plant		1,508,444		1,420,952

Total	$	2,191,194	$	2,043,414

Depreciation of utility plant for financial statement purposes is computed on a straight-line basis over the assets' estimated useful lives including cost of removal of certain assets as follows:

		Useful Lives
Equipment		5 to 50 years
Transmission and distribution plant		40 to 65 years
Office Buildings and other structures		50 years

The provision for depreciation expressed as a percentage of the aggregate depreciable asset balances was 2.97% in 2014, 3.03% in 2013, and 3.1% 2012. For income tax purposes, as applicable, the Company computes depreciation using the accelerated methods allowed by the respective taxing authorities.

Asset Retirement Obligation

The Company has a legal obligation to retire wells in accordance with State Water Resources Control Board regulations. In addition, upon decommission of a wastewater plant or lift station certain wastewater infrastructure would need to be retired in accordance with State Water Resources Control Board regulations. An asset retirement cost and corresponding retirement obligation is recorded when a well or waste water infrastructure is placed into service. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013 the retirement obligation is estimated to be $18,414 and $17,036, respectively. The change only impacted the consolidated balance sheet.

Cash Equivalents

Cash equivalents include highly liquid investments with remaining maturities of three months or less at the time of acquisition. Cash and cash equivalents was $19.6 million and $27.5 million as of December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively.

Restricted Cash

In 2014 restricted cash includes $0.5 million of proceeds collected through a surcharge on certain customers' bills plus interest earned on the proceeds and is used to service California Safe Drinking Water Bond obligations. All restricted cash is included in "taxes, prepaid expenses, and other assets". As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, restricted cash was $872 and $1,193, respectively.

Regulatory Assets and Liabilities

Regulatory assets and liabilities were comprised of the following as of December 31:

	2014		2013
Regulatory Assets
Pension and retiree group health	$	245,008	$	119,868
Property-related temporary differences (tax benefits flowed through to ratepayers)		72,350		60,780
Other accrued benefits		32,959		43,061
Interim rates long-term accounts receivable		10,627		—
Net WRAM and MCBA long-term accounts receivable		14,449		15,423
Asset retirement obligations, net		13,863		12,549
Health care balancing account		1,075		—

Total Regulatory Assets	$	390,331	$	251,681


Regulatory Liabilities
Future tax benefits due ratepayers	$	26,114	$	24,195
Conservation program		2,669		6,291
Pension balancing account		4,291		—
Other liabilities		3,373		3,765

Total Regulatory Liabilities	$	36,447	$	34,251

Short-term regulatory assets and liabilities are excluded from the above table. The short-term regulatory assets for 2014 and 2013 were $53,199 and $30,887, respectively. The short-term regulatory assets were primarily interim rates and net WRAM/MCBA. The short-term portion of regulatory liabilities for 2014 and 2013 were $6,126 and $1,827, respectively. The short-term regulatory liabilities were primarily net WRAM/MCBA liability balances and net refund balances to rate payers for conservation program from the 2009 general rate case.

The Company operates extensively in a regulated business, and as such is subject to the accounting standards for regulated utilities. Utility companies defer costs and credits on the balance sheet as regulatory assets and liabilities when it is probable that those costs and credits will be recognized in the ratemaking process in a period different from the period in which they would have been reflected in income by an unregulated company. Regulatory assets other than WRAM represent deferral of costs that will be recovered in the future and do not include a return. In determining the probability of costs being recognized in other periods, the Company considers regulatory rules and decisions, past practices, and other facts or circumstances that would indicate if recovery is probable. In the event that a portion of the Company's operations were no longer subject to the accounting standards for regulated utilities, the Company would be required to write off related regulatory assets and liabilities. If a commission determined that a portion of the Company's assets were not recoverable in customer rates, the Company would be required to determine if a disallowance of asset costs had occurred. If a disallowance had occurred, it would require a write-down in the assets' valuation.

The Company's qualified, defined-benefit, non-contributory pension plan and other postretirement plan benefit (Retire Group Health) regulatory asset is the amount the Company expects to recover from ratepayers in the future for these plans at the end of the calendar year.

The property-related tax benefits flowed through to ratepayers relate primarily to the difference between book and federal income tax depreciation on utility plant that was placed in service before the regulatory Commissions adopted normalization for rate making purposes. Previously, the tax benefit of tax depreciation in excess of book depreciation was passed on to customers (flow-through). For state deferred tax liabilities, the Commission continues to use the flow-through method. As such timing differences reverse, the Company will be able to include the impact of such differences in customer rates. These federal and state tax flow-through differences will continue to reverse over the remaining book lives of the related assets.

Other accrued benefits are accrued benefits for vacation, self-insured workers' compensation, and directors' retirement benefits. The net WRAM and MCBA long-term accounts receivable is the undercollected portion of recorded revenues that are not expected to be collected from ratepayers within 12 months. The asset retirement obligation regulatory asset represents the difference between costs associated with asset retirement obligations and amounts collected in rates. The health care balancing account regulatory asset is for incurred health care costs that exceeded the cost recovery in rates and is recoverable from ratepayers as of December 31, 2014.

The future tax benefits due to ratepayers represent regulatory liabilities for tax deductions that will be taken and flowed through to customers in the future. Regulatory liabilities also reflect timing differences provided at higher than the current tax rate, which will flow-through to future ratepayers. The conservation program and pension balancing account regulatory liabilities are for cost recovery in rates that exceeded incurred costs and are refundable to ratepayers as of December 31, 2014.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Intangibles and Goodwill

The Company regularly reviews its long-lived assets, intangible assets and goodwill for impairment annually or when events or changes in business circumstances have occurred that indicate the carrying amount of such assets may not be fully realizable. Potential impairment of assets held for use is determined by comparing the carrying amount of an asset to the future undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured as the amount by which the carrying value of the asset exceeds its fair value.

Goodwill is measured as the excess of the cost of an acquisition over the sum of the amounts assigned to identifiable assets acquired less liabilities assumed. Goodwill and other identifiable intangible assets are accounted for in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Goodwill is not amortized but instead is reviewed annually at November 30th for impairment or more frequently if impairment indicators arise.

The impairment test is performed at the reporting unit level using a two- step, fair-value based approach. The first step determines the fair value of the reporting unit and compares it to the reporting unit's carrying value. If the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, a second step is performed to measure the amount of impairment loss, if any. The second step allocates the fair value of the reporting unit to the Company's tangible and intangible assets and liabilities. This derives an implied fair value for the reporting unit's goodwill. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit's goodwill exceeds the implied fair value of that goodwill, an impairment loss is recognized equal to the excess.

The recorded goodwill balance as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, relate to the Hawaii Water Service Company reporting unit. Based on our annual goodwill impairment test, no impairment was recorded in 2014 or 2013.

Long-Term Debt Premium, Discount and Expense

The discount and issuance expense on long-term debt is amortized over the original lives of the related debt on a straight-line basis which approximates the effective interest method. Premiums paid on the early redemption of certain debt and the unamortized original issuance discount and expense are amortized over the life of new debt issued in conjunction with the early redemption. Amortization expense included in interest expense was $797, $1,081, and $1,107 for 2014, 2013, and 2012, respectively.

Advances for Construction

Advances for Construction consist of payments received from developers for installation of water production and distribution facilities to serve new developments. Advances are excluded from rate base for rate setting purposes. Annual refunds are made to developers without interest. Advances of $182,284, and $183,393 at December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively, will be refunded primarily over a 40-year period in equal annual amounts. Estimated refunds of advances for each succeeding year are approximately $7,587, $7,361, $7,347, $7,330, $7,325 and $145,334 thereafter.

Contributions in Aid of Construction

Contributions in Aid of Construction represent payments received from developers, primarily for fire protection purposes, which are not subject to refunds. Facilities funded by contributions are included in utility plant, but excluded from rate base. Depreciation related to assets acquired from contributions is charged to the Contributions in Aid of Construction account.

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Measurement of the deferred tax assets and liabilities is at enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in the period that includes the enactment date.

Historically the Commissions reduced revenue requirements for the tax effects of certain originating temporary differences and allowed recovery of these tax costs as the related temporary differences reverse. The Commissions have granted the Company rate increases to reflect the normalization of the tax benefits of the federal accelerated methods and available Investment Tax Credits (ITC) for all assets placed in service after 1980. ITCs are deferred and amortized over the lives of the related properties for book purposes. The commissions granted flow-through for state taxes.

Advances for Construction and Contributions in Aid of Construction received from developers subsequent to 1986 were taxable for federal income tax purposes and subsequent to 1991 were subject to California income tax. In 1996, the federal tax law, and in 1997, the California tax law, changed and only deposits for new services were taxable. In late 2000, federal regulations were further modified to exclude contributions of fire services from taxable income.

The accounting standards for accounting for uncertainty in income taxes allows the inclusion of interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions as a component of income taxes. See note 10 "Income Taxes".

Workers' Compensation, General Liability and Other Claims

For workers' compensation, the Company estimates the liability associated with claims submitted and claims not yet submitted based on historical data. Expenses for workers compensation insurance are included in rates on a pay-as- you-go basis. Therefore, a corresponding regulatory asset has been recorded. For general liability claims and other claims, the Company estimates the cost incurred but not yet paid using historical information.

Collective Bargaining Agreements

As of December 31, 2014, the Company had 1,105 employees, including 708 non-supervisory employees who are represented by the Utility Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO, except certain engineering and laboratory employees who are represented by the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, AFL-CIO. The union agreements expire at the end of 2020.

Earnings per Share

The computations of basic and diluted earnings per share are noted below. Basic earnings per share are computed by dividing net income available to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share reflect the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other contracts were exercised or converted into common stock. Restricted Stock Awards (RSAs) are included in the common shares outstanding because the shares have all the same voting and dividend rights as issued and unrestricted common stock.

The Company did not grant any Stock Appreciation Rights (SAR) in 2014, 2013, and 2012. SARs outstanding were 186,356 shares as of December 31, 2014, 283,856 as of December 31, 2013 and 333,856 shares as of December 31, 2012.

All SARs were dilutive in 2014 and 2013. The dilutive effect is shown in the table below:

	2014		2013		2012
	(In thousands, except per share data)
Net income as reported and available to common stockholders	$	56,738	$	47,254	$	48,828


Weighted average common shares, basic		47,791		46,384		41,892
Dilutive common stock equivalents (treasury method)		38		33		—

Shares used for dilutive calculation		47,829		46,417		41,892


Earnings per share—basic	$	1.19	$	1.02	$	1.17
Earnings per share—diluted	$	1.19	$	1.02	$	1.17

Stock-based Compensation

The Company follows accounting standards for stock-based compensation. Compensation cost is measured at the grant date based on the fair value of the award. The Company recognizes compensation as expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is the vesting period.

Comprehensive Income or Loss

Comprehensive income for all periods presented was the same as net income.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

The Company did not have any accumulated other comprehensive income or loss transactions for 2014, 2013, and 2012.

Adoption of New Accounting Standards

On May 28, 2014 the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued an accounting standards update (ASU) 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. This update creates a single, principles based framework for revenue recognition and is based on principles that govern the recognition of revenue at an amount an entity expects to be entitled when goods or services are transferred to customers. ASU 2014-09 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016. Early adoption is not permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting the new revenue standard on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.