| **Taxes Other Than Income Taxes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands** | 3 Months Ended |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------|
||
| **Taxes Other Than Income [Line Items]**                             |           |   |
| Total taxes other than income                                        | $ 16,436       | $ 14,969 |
| Property [Member]                                                    |           |   |
| **Taxes Other Than Income [Line Items]**                             |           |   |
| Total taxes other than income                                        | 7,033          | 6,466 |
| Gross Receipts, Excise And Franchise [Member]                        |           |   |
| **Taxes Other Than Income [Line Items]**                             |           |   |
| Total taxes other than income                                        | 3,122          | 3,220 |
| Payroll [Member]                                                     |           |   |
| **Taxes Other Than Income [Line Items]**                             |           |   |
| Total taxes other than income                                        | 4,280          | 3,481 |
| Regulatory Assessments [Member]                                      |           |   |
| **Taxes Other Than Income [Line Items]**                             |           |   |
| Total taxes other than income                                        | 700            | 747 |
| Pumping Fees [Member]                                                |           |   |
| **Taxes Other Than Income [Line Items]**                             |           |   |
| Total taxes other than income                                        | 1,081          | 969 |
| Other [Member]                                                       |           |   |
| **Taxes Other Than Income [Line Items]**                             |           |   |
| Total taxes other than income                                        | $ 220          | $ 86 |

| X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Definition
Amount of operating expense for taxes other than income taxes of regulated operation.
+ References
Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 220 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 2 -Subparagraph (SX 210.5-03.2(b)) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=116634182&loc=SL114868664-224227
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| X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Definition
Taxes Other Than Income [Line Items]
+ References
No definition available.
+ Details**Name:**wtrg_TaxesOtherThanIncomeLineItems**Namespace Prefix:**wtrg_**Data Type:**xbrli:stringItemType**Balance Type:**na**Period Type:**duration |
| X                                                                                                                                     |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
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| X                                                                                                                                                            |
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| X                                                                                                                                    |
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| X                                                                                                                                                  |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
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| X                                                                                                                                        |
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| X                                                                                                                                       |
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