Company: MSEX
Filing Date: 2025-02-28
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001174947-25-000251
Chunk: 436

Company: MIDDLESEX WATER CO
Filing Date: 2025-02-28
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1C
Chunk 436
---
563.1 million, based on an authorized return on common equity of 9.6%. Middlesex has made capital infrastructure
investments to ensure prudent upgrade and replacement of its utility assets to support continued regulatory compliance, resilience and
overall quality of service. In August 2023, Middlesex and 3M Company (3M) executed a settlement agreement (Settlement Agreement) to resolve
a lawsuit Middlesex previously initiated claiming 3M introduced Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) into the Company’s water
supply for its Park Avenue Wellfield Treatment Plant (Park Avenue Plant). The rate case settlement provided that the net proceeds
from the 3M Settlement Agreement were to be used to mitigate the increase in customer rates and reimburse Middlesex for previously incurred
costs for the construction of the Park Avenue Plant PFAS treatment upgrades, including depreciation and carrying costs. This resulted
in the reclassification of $48.3 million from Regulatory Liabilities to Contributions in Aid of Construction from the December 31, 2023
balance sheet. In 2024, the Company also recognized the recovery of $0.9 million for depreciation and $4.1 million for carrying costs
associated with the Park Avenue Plant PFAS treatment upgrades, as well as the recovery of $2.6 million of previously incurred operating
treatment costs while the Park Avenue Plant PFAS treatment upgrades were in process.

The Middlesex Lead Service Line Replacement (LSLR)
Plan, which was approved by the NJBPU in January 2024, has commenced and Middlesex is currently recovering $1.2 million of costs for replacing
customer-owned lead service lines incurred through June 2024, which are being recovered between September 2024 and February 2025. Costs
of $0.6 million for replacing customer-owned lead service lines incurred between July 2024 through December 2024 will be recovered beginning
in March 2025 through August 2025. The LSLR surcharge is required to be reset every six months over the life of the LSLR Plan. Cost recovery
for replacing Company-owned lead service lines are recoverable through traditional rate making in connection with general rate case filings.

In October 2023, the NJBPU approved Middlesex’s
petition for a Distribution System Improvement Charge (DSIC) Foundation Filing, which is a prerequisite to implementing a DSIC rate that
allows water utilities to recover investments in, and generate a return on, qualifying capital