Capitalization (Details)									1 Months Ended			3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	May 01, 2020 USD ($)	Apr. 13, 2020 USD ($)	Mar. 16, 2020 USD ($)	Mar. 13, 2020 USD ($)	May 18, 2019 USD ($)	Apr. 26, 2019 USD ($)	Apr. 23, 2019 USD ($) $ / shares	Mar. 29, 2019 USD ($) item $ / shares shares	Jun. 30, 2020 USD ($) $ / shares shares	May 31, 2020 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Apr. 30, 2019 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2020 shares	Jun. 30, 2019 USD ($) shares	Jun. 30, 2020 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Jun. 30, 2019 USD ($) shares	Apr. 03, 2020 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019 $ / shares shares
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Private Placement | shares								21,661,095
Proceeds from private placement			$ 749,907,000
Common stock, par value | $ / shares								$ 0.50	$ 0.50	$ 0.50				$ 0.50			$ 0.50
Common stock, shares authorized | shares									600,000,000	600,000,000			300,000,000	600,000,000	300,000,000		600,000,000
Issuance expense			$ 20,606,000
Private placement discount								4.50%
Trading days | item								20
Diligence expenses								$ 4,000,000
Issuance of common stock under dividend reinvestment plan														$ 8,061,000	$ 4,420,000
Private placement price | $ / shares								$ 34.62
Repayments of long-term debt														1,627,300,000	825,642,000
Pre-payment penalty															$ 25,237,000
Purchase contracts settled | shares														1,979,570
Issuance of common stock from private placement, shares | shares												21,661,095		2,335,654
balance of stock purchase contracts | shares														7,711,138
Transfer restrictions			15 months
Unsecured Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Borrowing capacity																$ 500,000,000
Amount borrowed																$ 500,000,000
Long-Term [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face Amount		$ 1,100,000,000
Long-Term Due 2019 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Year					2019
Redemption percentage					3.57%
Long-Term Due 2037 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Year					2037
Redemption percentage					5.83%
Notes Ranging 2019-2037 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of long-term debt													$ 18,528,000
Long-term debt									$ 6,709,000					$ 6,709,000
Pre-payment penalty					$ 25,237,000
Long Term Due 2030 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face Amount		$ 500,000,000
Interest Rate		2.704%
Long Term Due 2050 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face Amount		$ 600,000,000
Interest Rate		3.351%
Term Loan [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of long-term debt									$ 200,000,000	$ 300,000,000
Company Debt Refinancing [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of long-term debt					$ 313,500,000						$ 313,500,000
Aqua Pennsylvania, Inc [Member] | First Mortgage Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face Amount	$ 175,000,000
Aqua Pennsylvania, Inc [Member] | First Mortgage Bonds Due In 2051 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face Amount	$ 75,000,000
Maturity Year	2051
Interest Rate	3.49%
Aqua Pennsylvania, Inc [Member] | First Mortgage Bonds Due In 2055 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face Amount	$ 50,000,000
Maturity Year	2055
Interest Rate	3.54%
Aqua Pennsylvania, Inc [Member] | First Mortgage Bonds Due In 2056 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face Amount	$ 50,000,000
Maturity Year	2056
Interest Rate	3.55%
LDC Funding LLC [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Issuance expense							$ 30,651,000
Private placement, per share | $ / shares							$ 50
Issuance of common stock under dividend reinvestment plan							$ 1,293,750,000
Private placement price | $ / shares								$ 34.62
Proceeds from tangible equity units							690,000,000
Debt issuance expense							$ 16,358,000
Share price | $ / shares							$ 34.62
Initial principal amount							$ 119,081,000
Initial principal amount per share | $ / shares							$ 8.62909
Cash installment | $ / shares							$ 0.75000
Cash installment rate							6.00%
Additional paid in capital							$ 570,919,000
insurance							$ 13,530,000
Interest Rate							3.00%
Amortization of notes							$ 119,081,000
Amortization of issuance costs							$ 2,828,000
LDC Funding LLC [Member] | July 30, 2019 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Cash installment | $ / shares							$ 0.80833
LDC Funding LLC [Member] | First Mortgage Bonds Due In 2029 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity date						2029
Face Amount						$ 400,000,000
Interest Rate						3.566%
LDC Funding LLC [Member] | First Mortgage Bonds Due In 2049 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity date						2049
Face Amount						$ 500,000,000
Interest Rate						4.276%
LDC Funding LLC [Member] | Long-Term [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt issuance expense						$ 7,931,000
Face Amount						$ 900,000,000
LDC Funding LLC [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Conversion to shares | $ / shares							1.1790
LDC Funding LLC [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Conversion to shares | $ / shares							$ 1.4442
Peoples Gas Acquisition [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Indebtedness			$ 1,101,091,000	$ 1,101,091,000
short-term debt			181,000,000	181,000,000
Outstanding debt			920,091,000	920,091,000
Peoples Gas Acquisition [Member] | Unsecured Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face Amount				$ 150,000,000
Debt term				5 years
Repayments of long-term debt		$ 181,000,000
Peoples Gas Acquisition [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Borrowing capacity			1,000,000,000	$ 300,000,000
Addition capacity			$ 150,000
Debt term				5 years
Maturity Year				2023
Peoples Gas Acquisition [Member] | Credit Agreement [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Borrowing capacity				$ 150,000,000
Amount borrowed				$ 150,000,000
Peoples Gas Acquisition [Member] | Long Term Due 2030 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity date				2030
Peoples Gas Acquisition [Member] | Long Term Due 2050 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity date				2050
Peoples Gas Acquisition [Member] | Minimum [Member] | Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Year				2020
Interest Rate				2.90%
Peoples Gas Acquisition [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity Year				2032
Interest Rate				6.42%