Accounting policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Basis of preparation: The consolidated financial statements presented are prepared in accordance with the accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Use of estimates

Use of estimates: The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant items subject to estimates and assumptions include the carrying value of property, plant and equipment, intangible assets, goodwill and put/call options. Actual results could differ significantly from such estimates.

Basis of consolidation

Basis of consolidation: The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company’s (i) wholly-owned subsidiaries, Aquilex, Inc., Cayman Water Company Limited (“Cayman Water”), Ocean Conversion (Cayman) Limited (“OC-Cayman”), DesalCo Limited (“DesalCo”), Consolidated Water Cooperatief, U.A. (“CW-Cooperatief”), Consolidated Water U.S. Holdings, Inc. (“CW-Holdings”); and (ii) majority-owned subsidiaries Consolidated Water (Bahamas) Ltd. (“CW-Bahamas”), Aerex Industries, Inc. (“Aerex”), N.S.C. Agua, S.A. de C.V. (“NSC”), Aguas de Rosarito S.A.P.I. de C.V. (“AdR”), PERC Water Corporation ("PERC") and PT Consolidated Water Bali ("CW-Bali”). The Company’s investment in its affiliate Ocean Conversion (BVI) Ltd. (“OC-BVI”) is accounted for using the equity method of accounting. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Foreign currency

Foreign currency: The Company’s reporting currency is the United States dollar (“US$”). The functional currency of the Company and its foreign operating subsidiaries (other than NSC, AdR, CW-Cooperatief and CW-Bali) is the currency for each respective country. The functional currency for NSC, AdR, CW-Cooperatief and CW-Bali is the US$. NSC and AdR conduct business in US$ and Mexican pesos, CW-Cooperatief conducts business in US$ and euros, and CW-Bali conducts business in US$ and Indonesian rupiahs. The exchange rates for the Cayman Islands dollar, the Belize dollar and the Bahamian dollar are fixed to the US$. The exchange rates for conversion of Mexican pesos, euros and rupiahs into US$ vary based upon market conditions. Net foreign currency gains arising from transactions and re-measurements were $35,352 and $8,089 for the year ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, and are included in “Other income (expense) - Other” in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of income.

Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents: Cash and cash equivalents consist of demand deposits at banks and highly liquid deposits at banks with an original maturity of three months or less. Cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 include $12.7 million and $8.4 million, respectively, of certificates of deposits with an original maturity of three months or less.

As of December 31, 2019, the Company had deposits in U.S. banks in excess of federally insured limits of approximately $6.5 million. As of December 31, 2019, the Company held cash in foreign bank accounts of approximately $36.0 million.

Certain transfers from the Company’s Bahamas bank accounts to Company bank accounts in other countries require the approval of the Central Bank of The Bahamas. As of December 31, 2019, the equivalent United States dollar cash balances for deposits held in The Bahamas were approximately $7.4 million.

Accounts receivable and allowance for doubtful accounts

Accounts receivable and allowance for doubtful accounts: Accounts receivable are recorded at invoiced amounts based on meter readings or minimum take-or-pay amounts per contractual agreements. The allowance for doubtful accounts is the Company’s best estimate of the amount of probable credit losses in the Company’s existing accounts receivable balance. The Company determines the allowance for doubtful accounts based on historical write-off experience and monthly review of delinquent accounts. Past due balances are reviewed individually for collectability and disconnection. Account balances are charged off against the allowance for doubtful accounts after all means of collection have been exhausted and the potential for recovery is considered by management to be remote.

Inventory

Inventory: Inventory primarily includes consumables stock and spare parts stock that are valued at cost, less an allowance for obsolescence, with cost determined on the first-in, first-out basis. Inventory also includes potable water held in the Company’s reservoirs. The carrying amount of the water inventory is the lower of the average cost of producing water during the year or its net realizable value.

Loans receivable

Loans receivable: Loans receivable relate to notes receivable from customers arising from the construction and sale of water infrastructure. The allowance for loan losses, if any, is the Company’s best estimate of the amount of probable credit losses in the Company’s existing loans and is determined on an individual loan basis.

Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings

Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings: Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings represent revenue recognized in excess of amounts billed on the respective uncompleted construction and manufacturing contracts.

Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings

Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings: Billing in excess of costs and estimated earnings represent amounts billed in excess of revenue recognized on the respective uncompleted construction and manufacturing contracts.

Property, plant and equipment, net

Property, plant and equipment, net: Property, plant and equipment is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is calculated using a straight-line method with an allowance for estimated residual values. Rates are determined based on the estimated useful lives of the assets as follows:


Buildings		5 to 40 years
Plant and equipment		4 to 40 years
Distribution system		3 to 40 years
Office furniture, fixtures and equipment		3 to 10 years
Vehicles		3 to 10 years
Leasehold improvements		Shorter of 5 years or lease term
Lab equipment		5 to 10 years

Additions to property, plant and equipment are comprised of the cost of the contracted services, direct labor and materials. Assets under construction are recorded as additions to property, plant and equipment upon completion of the projects. Depreciation commences in the month the asset is placed in service.

Long-lived assets

Long-lived assets: Long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets might not be recoverable. Conditions that would necessitate an impairment assessment include a significant decline in the observable market value of an asset, a significant change in the extent or manner in which an asset is used, or a significant adverse change that would indicate that the carrying amount of an asset or group of assets is not recoverable. For long-lived assets to be held and used, the Company recognizes an impairment loss only if their carrying amounts are not recoverable through their undiscounted cash flows and measures the impairment loss based on the difference between the carrying amounts and estimated fair values.

Goodwill and intangible assets

Goodwill and intangible assets: Goodwill represents the excess cost over the fair value of the assets of an acquired business. Goodwill and intangible assets acquired in a business combination accounted for as a purchase and determined to have an indefinite useful life are not amortized but are tested for impairment at least annually. Intangible assets with estimable useful lives are amortized over their respective estimated useful lives to their estimated residual values and reviewed periodically for impairment. The Company evaluates the possible impairment of goodwill annually as part of its reporting process for the fourth quarter of each fiscal year. Management identifies the Company’s reporting units, which consist of the retail, bulk, and manufacturing business segments, and determines the carrying value of each reporting unit by assigning the assets and liabilities, including the existing goodwill and intangible assets, to those reporting units. The Company determines the fair value of each reporting unit and compares the fair value to the carrying amount of the reporting unit. To the extent the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds the fair value of the reporting unit, an impairment loss is recorded.

For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company estimated the fair value of its reporting units by applying the discounted cash flow method, the guideline public company method, and the mergers and acquisitions method.

The discounted cash flow method relied upon seven-year discrete projections of operating results, working capital and capital expenditures, along with a terminal value subsequent to the discrete period. These seven-year projections were based upon historical and anticipated future results, general economic and market conditions, and considered the impact of planned business and operational strategies. The discount rates for the calculations represented the estimated cost of capital for market participants at the time of each analysis.

The Company also estimated the fair value of each of its reporting units for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 through reference to the guideline companies and the market multiples implied by guideline merger and acquisition transactions.

The Company weighted the fair values estimated for each of its reporting units under each method and summed such weighted fair values to estimate the overall fair value for each reporting unit. The respective weightings the Company applied to each method as of December 31, 2019 were consistent with those used as of December 31, 2018 and were as follows:


Method	Retail		Bulk		Manufacturing
Discounted cash flow	80	%	80	%	80	%
Guideline public company	10	%	10	%	10	%
Mergers and acquisitions	10	%	10	%	10	%
	100	%	100	%	100	%

The fair values the Company estimated for its retail and bulk reporting units exceeded their carrying amounts by 74% and 58%, respectively, as of December 31, 2019. The assets and liabilities for the Company's services reporting unit (with the exception of investments in land and rights of way related to AdR) consist almost entirely of those for PERC, which was acquired on October 24, 2019, and therefore the Company estimates the fair value of its services reporting units closely approximates its carrying value at December 31, 2019. The Company's manufacturing reporting unit consists entirely of Aerex and the remaining 49% ownership interest of Aerex was purchased on January 24, 2020 for $8,500,000. The Company considered this purchase, the manufacturing reporting unit’s results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2019, its projected results of operations for the year ending December 31, 2020, and the amount by which its estimated fair value exceeded its carrying amount as of December 31, 2018 to determine that it is more likely than not that the fair value of the manufacturing reporting unit exceeded its carrying amount at December 31, 2019. The fair values the Company estimated for its retail, bulk and manufacturing units exceeded their carrying amounts by 79%, 62% and 53%, respectively, as of December 31, 2018.

On February 11, 2016, the Company acquired 51% ownership interest in Aerex. In connection with this acquisition the Company recorded goodwill of $8,035,211. Aerex’s actual results of operations for the six months in 2016 following the acquisition fell significantly short of the projected results for this period that were included in the cash flow projections the Company utilized to determine the purchase price for Aerex and the fair values of its assets and liabilities. Due to this shortfall in Aerex’s results of operations, the Company tested Aerex’s goodwill for possible impairment as of September 30, 2016 by estimating its fair value using the discounted cash flow method. As a result of this impairment testing, the Company determined that the carrying value of the Aerex goodwill exceeded its fair value and recorded an impairment loss of $1,750,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2016, included in loss on long-lived asset dispositions and impairments, net in the accompanying consolidated statements of income, to reduce the carrying value of this goodwill to $6,285,211. As part of the Company’s annual impairment testing of goodwill performed during the fourth quarter, in 2017 the Company updated its projections for Aerex’s future cash flows, determined that the carrying value of the Aerex goodwill exceeded its fair value, and recorded an impairment loss of $1,400,000 for the three months ended December 31, 2017, which is included in loss on long-lived asset dispositions and impairments, net in the accompanying consolidated statements of income, to further reduce the carrying value of the goodwill to $4,885,211. The Company may be required to record additional impairment losses to reduce the carrying value of this goodwill in future periods if the Company determines it likely that Aerex’s results of operations will fall short of its most recent projections of its future cash flows.

In February 2019, the Company sold its former Belize subsidiary (see Note 13). As a result of this sale, this former subsidiary has been accounted for as discontinued operations in the consolidated financial statements, and bulk segment goodwill of approximately $380,000 as of December 31, 2018 associated with this former subsidiary was reclassified to long-term assets of discontinued operations in the consolidated statements of financial condition.

Investments

Investments: Investments where the Company does not exercise significant influence over the operating and financial policies of the investee and holds less than 20% of the voting stock are recorded at cost. The Company uses the equity method of accounting for investments in common stock where the Company holds 20% to 50% of the voting stock of the investee and has significant influence over its operating and financial policies but does not meet the criteria for consolidation. The Company recognizes impairment losses on declines in the fair value of the stock of investees that are other than temporary.

Other assets

Other assets: Under the terms of CW-Bahamas’ contract with the Water and Sewerage Corporation of The Bahamas (“WSC”) to supply water from its Blue Hills desalination plant, CW-Bahamas was required to reduce the amount of water lost by the public water distribution system on New Providence Island, The Bahamas, over a one-year period by 438 million gallons, a requirement CW-Bahamas met during 2007. The Company was solely responsible for the engineering, labor and materials costs incurred to affect the reduction in lost water, which were capitalized and are being amortized on a straight-line basis over the original remaining life of the Blue Hills contract. Such costs are included in other assets and aggregated approximately $3.5 million as of December 31, 2019 and 2018. Accumulated amortization for these costs was approximately $2.4 million and $2.2 million as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Amortization expense was $179,353 for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018.

Income taxes

Income taxes: The Company accounts for the income taxes arising from the operations of its United States and Mexico subsidiaries under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities, if any, 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 and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using 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 income in the period that includes the enactment date. A valuation allowance is provided to the extent any deferred tax asset may not be realized.

The Company is not presently subject to income taxes in the other countries in which it operates.

Revenue recognition

Revenue recognition: Revenue is recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to the Company’s customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services.

The following table presents the Company’s revenue disaggregated by revenue source.


	Year Ended December 31,
	2019		2018
Retail revenue		26,456,022		25,621,048
Bulk revenue		26,986,108		31,031,287
Services revenue		1,759,446		1,811,372
Manufacturing revenue		13,592,075		7,256,150
Total revenue	$	68,793,651	$	65,719,857

Retail revenue

The Company produces and supplies water to end-users, including residential, commercial and governmental customers in the Cayman Islands under an exclusive retail license issued to Cayman Water by the Cayman Islands government to provide water in two of the three most populated and rapidly developing areas on Grand Cayman Island. Customers are billed on a monthly basis based on metered consumption and bills are typically collected within 30 to 35 days after the billing date. Receivables not collected within 45 days subject the customer to disconnection from water service. In 2019 and 2018, bad debts represented less than 1% of the Company’s total retail sales.

The Company recognizes revenue from water sales at the time water is supplied to the customer’s premises. The amount of water supplied is determined and invoiced based upon water meter readings performed at the end of each month. All retail water contracts are month-to-month contracts. The Company has elected the “right to invoice” practical expedient for revenue recognition on its retail water sale contracts and recognizes revenue in the amount to which the Company has a right to invoice.

Bulk revenue

The Company produces and supplies water to government-owned distributors in the Cayman Islands and The Bahamas.

OC-Cayman provides bulk water to the Water Authority-Cayman (“WAC”), a government-owned utility and regulatory agency, under various agreements. The WAC in turn distributes such water to properties in Grand Cayman outside of Cayman Water’s retail license area.

The Company sells bulk water in The Bahamas through its majority-owned subsidiary, CW-Bahamas, to the Water and Sewerage Corporation of The Bahamas (“WSC”), which distributes such water through its own pipeline system to residential, commercial and tourist properties on the Island of New Providence. The Company also sells water to a private resort on Bimini.

The Company has elected the “right to invoice” practical expedient for revenue recognition on its bulk water sale contracts and recognizes revenue in the amount to which the Company has a right to invoice.

Services and Manufacturing revenue

The Company, through Aerex, is a custom and specialty manufacturer of water treatment-related systems and products applicable to commercial, municipal and industrial water production. Substantially all of Aerex’s customers are U.S. companies.

The Company provides design, engineering, management, procurement and construction services for desalination infrastructure through DesalCo, which serves customers in the Cayman Islands, The Bahamas and the British Virgin Islands. The Company also provides design, engineering, construction and management services for water treatment and reuse infrastructure through PERC. All of PERC's customers are companies or governmental entities located in the U.S.

The Company recognizes services and manufacturing construction revenue over time under the input method using costs incurred (which represents work performed) to date relative to total estimated costs at completion to measure progress toward satisfying its performance obligations as such measure best reflects the transfer of control of the promised good to the customer. Contract costs include labor, material and overhead. The Company follows this method since it can make reasonably dependable estimates of the revenue and costs applicable to various stages of a contract. Under this input method, the Company records revenue and recognizes profit or loss as work on the contract progresses. The Company estimates total project costs and profit to be earned on each long-term, fixed price contract prior to commencement of work on the contract and updates these estimates as work on the contract progresses. The cumulative amount of revenue recorded on a contract at a specified point in time is that percentage of total estimated revenue that incurred costs to date comprises of estimated total contract costs. If, as work progresses, the actual contract costs exceed estimates, the profit recognized on revenue from that contract decreases. The Company recognizes the full amount of any estimated loss on a contract at the time the estimates indicate such a loss. Any costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings are classified as current assets. Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings on uncompleted contracts, if any, are classified as current liabilities.

The Company has elected the “right to invoice” practical expedient for revenue recognition on its management services agreements and recognizes revenue in the amount to which the Company has a right to invoice.

Practical Expedients and Exemptions

The Company does not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for (i) contracts with an original expected length of one year or less and (ii) contracts for which the Company recognizes revenue at the amount to which it has the right to invoice for services performed.

Comparative amounts

Comparative amounts: Certain amounts presented in the financial statements previously issued for 2018 have been reclassified to conform to the current year’s presentation.