| **Taxes Other Than Income Taxes**            | 3 Months Ended                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
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| **Taxes Other Than Income Taxes [Abstract]** |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| Taxes Other Than Income Taxes                | Note 11 – Taxes Other than Income Taxes 

 

The following table provides the components of taxes other than income taxes:

﻿

						 

						 

						 

						 

						 

						 

						 

﻿

						 

						 

						 

						 

						 

						 

						 

﻿

						 

Three Months Ended

						 

﻿

						 

March 31,

						 

﻿

						 

2016

						 

2015

						 

﻿Property

						 

$
6,185 				
						 

$
6,825 				
						 

﻿Capital stock

						 

						 
427 				
						 

						 
540 				
						 

﻿Gross receipts, excise and franchise

						 

						 
2,519 				
						 

						 
2,442 				
						 

﻿Payroll

						 

						 
3,337 				
						 

						 
3,278 				
						 

﻿Regulatory assessments

						 

						 
672 				
						 

						 
653 				
						 

﻿Other 

						 

						 
1,000 				
						 

						 
883 				
						 

﻿Total taxes other than income

						 

$
14,140 				
						 

$
14,621 				
						 

﻿

						 

						 

						 

						 

						 

						 

						 

﻿ |

| X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
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| - Definition
Taxes Other than Income Taxes
+ References
No definition available.
+ Details**Name:**wtr_TaxesOtherThanIncomeTaxesAbstract**Namespace Prefix:**wtr_**Data Type:**xbrli:stringItemType**Balance Type:**na**Period Type:**duration |
| X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Definition
Utilities Operating Expenses, Taxes As In Annual Report [Text Block]
+ References
No definition available.
+ Details**Name:**wtr_UtilitiesOperatingExpensesTaxesAsInAnnualReportTextBlock**Namespace Prefix:**wtr_**Data Type:**nonnum:textBlockItemType**Balance Type:**na**Period Type:**duration |