{"schema_version":"secwatch.filing_event.v1","accession":"0001552781-26-000492","form_type":"8-K","ticker":"WTRG","cik":"0000078128","company_name":"Essential Utilities, Inc.","filed_at":"2026-09-17T14:50:15+00:00","discovered_at":"2026-09-17T14:51:01.364304+00:00","generated_at":"2026-09-17T14:51:08.711010+00:00","sec_items":["8.01"],"event_type":"regulatory","sentiment":"neutral","materiality_score":0.65,"calibrated_materiality_score":0.65,"confidence":"high","headline":"American Water, Essential Utilities file non-unanimous settlement with PaPUC for merger","bullets":["On Sept 15, 2026, American Water and Essential Utilities filed a joint non-unanimous settlement with PaPUC for the proposed merger.","Settlement joined by Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement, Office of Consumer Advocate, Small Business Advocate, and others; some parties did not join.","PaPUC ALJs will review settlement and issue a Recommended Decision; final approval rests with PaPUC.","Merger announced Oct 26, 2025; Essential Utilities to become wholly owned subsidiary of American Water."],"urls":{"canonical":"https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001552781-26-000492","json":"https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001552781-26-000492.json","markdown":"https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001552781-26-000492.md","text":"https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001552781-26-000492.txt","edgar_index":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/78128/000155278126000492/0001552781-26-000492-index.htm","edgar_primary_document":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/78128/000155278126000492/e26385_wtrg-8k.htm"},"model":{"generated_by":"deepseek-v4-flash:cloud@v2","generated_at":"2026-09-17T14:51:08.711010+00:00"},"review":{"review_status":"machine_generated","human_reviewed":false,"corrected":false,"correction_note":null,"correction_timestamp":null,"superseded_by":null,"related_filings":[]},"source_grounded_claims":[],"license":"Source filings: public domain (SEC EDGAR). Summaries (headline + bullets): CC-BY-4.0; attribute https://secwatch.observer"}