| **Acquisitions**            | 3 Months Ended                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      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| **Acquisitions [Abstract]** |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       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| Acquisitions                | Note 4 – Acquisitions 

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Peoples Gas Acquisition

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Pursuant to the Company’s growth strategy, on October 22, 2018, the Company entered into a purchase agreement (the “Acquisition Agreement”) with LDC Parent LLC (“Seller”), to acquire its interests in LDC Funding LLC (“LDC”).  LDC is the parent of LDC Holdings LLC (“LDC Holdings”), and LDC Holdings is the parent of five natural gas public utility companies, which includes Peoples Natural Gas Company, Peoples Gas Company, and Delta Natural Gas Company as well as other operating subsidiaries.  This acquisition is referred to as the “Peoples Gas Acquisition,” and collectively these businesses are referred to as “Peoples.”   Peoples is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and serves approximately 740,000 gas utility customers in western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Kentucky.  At the closing of the Peoples Gas Acquisition, the Company will pay $4,275,000, in cash subject to adjustments for working capital, certain capital expenditures, transaction expenses and closing indebtedness as set forth in the Acquisition Agreement.  The Company expects to assume approximately $1,370,000 of Peoples’ indebtedness upon the closing of the Peoples Gas Acquisition, which would reduce the cash purchase price by approximately $1,370,000.    

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On October 22, 2018, the Company obtained a commitment (the “Bridge Commitment”) from certain banks to provide senior unsecured bridge loans in an aggregate amount of up to $5,100,000 to, among other things, backstop the Peoples Gas Acquisition purchase price and refinancing of certain debt of the Company and Peoples.  On March 29, 2019, the Company entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement to issue shares of common stock in a private placement to fund a portion of the Peoples Gas Acquisition.  The gross proceeds of the Stock Purchase Agreement are expected to amount to approximately $750,000.  As of March 31, 2019, the Company had terminated approximately $1,633,000 of commitments under the Bridge Commitment.  Further, on April 18, 2019, the Company issued $1,293,750 of its common stock and $690,000 of its tangible equity units, with a stated amount of $50 per unit, and on April 26, 2019, the Company issued $900,000 of senior notes.  Lastly, in April 2019, as a result of the Company’s common stock, tangible equity units, and senior notes issuances, we terminated approximately $2,717,000 of commitments under the Bridge Commitment.  The remaining balance available under the Bridge Commitment is $750,000.  Refer to Note 6 – Capitalization for further information on these financings.

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On October 23, 2018, the Company entered into interest rate swap agreements to mitigate interest rate risk associated with an anticipated $850,000 of future debt issuances to fund a portion of the Peoples Gas Acquisition.  The interest rate swaps were settled on April 24, 2019 in conjunction with the issuance of long-term debt used to finance a portion of the purchase price of this acquisition, which resulted in a payment by the Company of $83,520.  Refer to Note 7 – Interest Rate Swap Agreements for further information.  The interest rate swaps did not qualify for hedge accounting and any changes in the fair value of the swaps was included in our earnings.  

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The Peoples Gas Acquisition is subject to regulatory approval by the Pennsylvania public utility commission, and other customary closing conditions set forth in the Acquisition Agreement.  Approval from the United States Federal Trade Commission was obtained in December 2018 and approvals from the public utility commissions of Kentucky and West Virginia were obtained in March 2019 and April 2019, respectively.  The Peoples Gas Acquisition is expected to close in mid-2019, once all regulatory approvals are obtained, and closing conditions are met, and it is anticipated that this acquisition will result in the recording of goodwill.  In the event that the Acquisition Agreement is terminated due to certain breaches by the Company, a fee of $120,000 would be payable to the Seller as a reverse termination fee.  

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Water and Wastewater Utility Acquisitions

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In July 2018, the Company acquired the wastewater utility systems assets of Limerick Township, Pennsylvania which serves 5,497 customers.  The total cash purchase price for the utility system was $74,836.  The purchase price allocation for this acquisition consisted primarily of acquired property, plant and equipment of $64,759, and goodwill of $10,790.  Additionally, during 2018, the Company completed seven acquisitions of water and wastewater utility systems in three states adding 8,661 customers.  The total purchase price of these utility systems consisted of $42,519 in cash.  The purchase price allocation for these acquisitions consisted primarily of acquired property, plant and equipment.  Further, in December 2018, the Company acquired the Valley Creek Trunk Sewer System, serving area municipalities in Pennsylvania, from the Tredyffrin Township Municipal Authority for $28,300.  The system receives untreated wastewater from area municipalities, which is conveyed to the Valley Forge Treatment Plant.  The system consists of 49,000 linear feet of gravity sewers, pump stations, and force mains

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In November 2018, the Company entered into a purchase agreement to acquire the wastewater utility system assets of East Norriton Township, Pennsylvania, which serves approximately 4,950 customers for $21,000.  The purchase price for this pending acquisition is subject to certain adjustments at closing, and is subject to regulatory approval, including the final determination of the fair value of the rate base acquired.

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In July 2018, the Company entered into a purchase agreement to acquire the wastewater utility system assets of Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania, which serves approximately 10,500 customers for $50,250.  The purchase price for this pending acquisition is subject to certain adjustments at closing, and is subject to regulatory approval, including the final determination of the fair value of the rate base acquired.  

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In addition to the Company’s pending acquisitions in East Norriton and Cheltenham Townships, as part of the Company’s growth-through-acquisition strategy, the Company entered into purchase agreements to acquire the water or wastewater utility system assets of four municipalities for a total combined purchase price in cash of $38,950 which we plan to finance by the issuance of debt.  The purchase price for these acquisitions is subject to certain adjustments at closing, and the acquisitions are subject to regulatory approvals, including the final determination of the fair value of the rate base acquired.    Closings for our remaining acquisitions (other than the Peoples Gas Acquisition) are expected to occur by the end of 2019, subject to the timing of the regulatory approval process.  In total, these acquisitions (other than the Peoples Gas Acquisition) will add approximately 4,000 customers in two of the states in which the Company operates in.    

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| - Definition
The entire disclosure for a business combination (or series of individually immaterial business combinations) completed during the period, including background, timing, and recognized assets and liabilities. The disclosure may include leverage buyout transactions (as applicable).
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