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GENERAL
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2016
GENERAL [Abstract]  
GENERAL
NOTE 1 – GENERAL

Artesian Resources Corporation, or Artesian Resources, includes income from the earnings of our eight wholly owned subsidiaries and the income derived from our Service Line Protection Plans described below. The terms "we", "our", "Artesian" and the "Company" as used herein refer to Artesian Resources and its subsidiaries.

DELAWARE REGULATED SUBSIDIARIES

Artesian Water Company, Inc., or Artesian Water, our principal subsidiary, is the oldest and largest public water utility in the State of Delaware and has been providing water service within the state since 1905. Artesian Water distributes and sells water to residential, commercial, industrial, governmental, municipal and utility customers throughout the State of Delaware. In addition, Artesian Water provides services to other water utilities, including operations and billing functions, and also has contract operation agreements with private and municipal water providers. We also provide water for public and private fire protection to customers in our service territories.

Artesian Wastewater Management, Inc., or Artesian Wastewater, is a regulated entity that owns wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure and provides wastewater services to customers in Delaware as a regulated public wastewater service company. As of March 31, 2016, Artesian Wastewater owned and operated four wastewater treatment facilities, which are capable of treating approximately 730,000 gallons per day and can be expanded to treat approximately 1.6 million gallons per day, or mgd.

MARYLAND REGULATED SUBSIDIARIES

Artesian Water Maryland, Inc., or Artesian Water Maryland, began operations in August 2007. Artesian Water Maryland distributes and sells water to residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers in Cecil County, Maryland.

Artesian Wastewater Maryland, Inc., or Artesian Wastewater Maryland, is a regulated wastewater entity in the State of Maryland and was incorporated on June 3, 2008. Artesian Wastewater Maryland is able to provide public wastewater services to customers in the State of Maryland.

PENNSYLVANIA REGULATED SUBSIDIARY

Artesian Water Pennsylvania, Inc., or Artesian Water Pennsylvania, began operations upon receiving recognition as a regulated public water utility by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, or PAPUC, in 2002. It provides water service to a residential community in Chester County.

OTHER SUBSIDIARIES

Our three other subsidiaries, none of which are regulated, are Artesian Utility Development, Inc., or Artesian Utility, Artesian Development Corporation, or Artesian Development, and Artesian Consulting Engineers, Inc., or Artesian Consulting Engineers.

Artesian Utility was formed in 1996. It designs and builds water and wastewater infrastructure and provides contract water and wastewater services on the Delmarva Peninsula. Artesian Utility also evaluates land parcels, provides recommendations to developers on the size of water or wastewater facilities and the type of technology that should be used for treatment at such facilities, and operates water and wastewater facilities in Delaware for municipal and governmental organizations. Artesian Utility also contracts with developers for design and construction of wastewater facilities within the Delmarva Peninsula, using a number of different technologies for treatment of wastewater at each facility. Artesian Utility also operates the Water Service Line Protection Plan, or WSLP Plan, the Sewer Service Line Protection Plan, or SSLP Plan, and the Internal Service Line Protection Plan, or ISLP Plan.

We currently operate wastewater treatment facilities for the town of Middletown, in southern New Castle County, or Middletown, under a 20-year contract that expires in July 2022. The facilities include two wastewater treatment stations with capacities of up to approximately 2.5 mgd and 250,000 gallons per day, respectively. We also operate a wastewater disposal facility in Middletown in order to support the 2.5 mgd wastewater facility. One of the wastewater treatment facilities in Middletown now provides reclaimed wastewater for use in spray irrigation on public and agricultural lands in the area.

Artesian Utility has operated the WSLP Plan and the SSLP Plan since April 2012. In November 2015, a third plan was added, the Internal Service Line Protection, or ISLP Plan. Artesian Resources initiated the WSLP Plan in March 2005. The WSLP Plan covers all parts, material and labor required to repair or replace participating customers' leaking water service lines up to an annual limit. The WSLP Plan was expanded in the second quarter of 2008 to include maintenance or repair to customers' sewer lines. The SSLP Plan covers all parts, material and labor required to repair or replace participating customers' leaking or clogged sewer lines up to an annual limit. Also, in the second quarter of 2010, the WSLP Plan and SSLP Plan were extended to include non-utility customers of Artesian Resources. The ISLP Plan was introduced in November 2015 to further enhance available coverage to include water and wastewater lines within customers' residences. As of March 31, 2016, approximately 19,250, or 25.0%, of our eligible water customers signed up for the WSLP Plan, approximately 14,710, or 19.1%, of our eligible customers signed up for the SSLP Plan, and approximately 1,940 customers signed up for the ISLP Plan in the first five months it was offered. Approximately 1,260 non-customer participants signed up for either the WSLP Plan, the SSLP Plan, or the ISLP Plan.

Artesian Development is a real estate holding company that owns properties, including land zoned for office buildings, a water treatment plant and wastewater facility, as well as property for current operations, including an office facility in Sussex County, Delaware. The facility consists of approximately 10,000 square feet of office space along with nearly 10,000 square feet of warehouse space. This facility allows all of our Sussex County, Delaware operations to be housed in one central location.

Artesian Consulting Engineers no longer offers development and architectural services to outside third parties. Artesian will continue to provide design and engineering contract services through our Artesian Utility subsidiary.