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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20091105Reply to Staff Report.pdfBAR CIRCLE '5' WATER CO PO BOX 1870 HAYDEN ID 83835 2086659200 g:: 1'; RECEi\ ,~,,,, iijU~ NO'4 -5 AM to= 23 IDAHO UT\l\T\ES C November 5, 2009 Jean D. Jewell, Secreta Idaho Public Utilties Commission P.O. Box 83720 Boise, Idaho 83720-0074 Re: CASE NO. BCS-W-09-02 IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION OF BAR CIRCLE "s" WATER COMPANY FOR AN ORDER AUTHORIZING INCREASES IN THE COMPANY'S RATES AND CHAGES FOR WATER SERVICE IN THE STATE OF IDAHO Dear Ms. Jewell: Enclosed for filing are an original and seven (7) copies of Applicant's "Reply to the Report of the Commission Sta'. Robert N. Turnipseed, President Bar Circle "s" Water Company Inc. P.O. Box1870 Hayden, Idaho 83835 TeL. (208) 665-9200 Fax (208) 665-9300 e-mail avondalecon~verizon.net Representative for Bar Circle"S" Water Co. D 2009 NOV -s AM 10: 24 IOAHO piy,;¡ it" UTIUTIES cò~.lK1¡ŠSION BEFORE THE IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION OF ) BAR CIRCLE "S" WATER COMPANY ) FOR AN ORDER AUTHORIZING INCREASES IN) THE COMPANY'S RATES AND CHARGES FOR) WATER SERVICE IN THE STATE OF IDAHO ) REPLY TO THE REPORT OF THE COMMISSION STAFF COMES NOW Bar Circle "s" Water Company Inc., ("Bar Circle "S", "Applicant" or "Company") and hereby files this reply to the report of the Staff (Staff of the Idaho Public Utilities Commission. STAFF RATE BASE ADJUSTMENTS Staff in its report proposes three adjustments to Applicant's rate base filed in this case. Staff proposes to eliminate; 1) $20,661from Applicants investment in water mains, 2) $1, 171from the Company's investment in fire hydrant locks and 3) $44,985 for the proposed installation of automated water meter reading equipment. Applicant acæpts Staffs proposed adjustment No. 1 to eliminate $20,661 from water mains and adjustment No.2 to reduæ the Company's investment in fire hydrant locks by $1,171. Although Applicant actually incurred costs in exæss of $67,000 to complete the interconnection of the Garwood addition, well Reply to Staff Report BCS- W -09-02 1 and reservoir, the Company is aware that its preliminary estimate of $41 ,000 was relied upon by the Commission in its determination to approve the acquisition. Applicant's only defense is that it submitted the original rough estimate to the Commission without the appropriate engineering specifications required to fully estimate the real costs of completing the project. Applicant opposes Staffs adjustment to eliminate from rate base $44,985.00 for the new investment in automated meter reading equipment. Staff incorrectly reported that "The Company has withdrawn its request to install the automatic meter reading system at this time." (Report Page 6) Staff referenæd Applicants response to Staff production request No. 11 part D in support of this statement. The following is the entire text of that response: Response to Part D of above request: Completion of the conversion to electronic meters has been temporarily delayed. One of the stockholders in Bar Circle "s" Water Company is quite elderly and has given power of attorney to his sons who are reluctant to commit the Company to the Commission approved loan neæssary to complete this project. Negotiations are currently underway among the stockholders to resolve the issue. The other stockholder is negotiating to possibly acquire the remainder of the Company Stock. The Company hopes to have the issue resolved in time to complete the project before the end of the year. Otherwise the project wil be completed in the spring of 2010. Should the Commission determine it is unwillng to accept this project for inclusion in rate base it should also eliminate the proposed loan from the capitol structure in calculating rate of return. As indicated in that response, Applicant did not "withdraw its request" but rather pointed out a problem that was delaying the project. The problem has been resolved and Applicant is moving forward with the project. The Meters are being ordered the week of November 1, 2009 Installation wil commenæ as soon as the meters arrive. Applicant believes it wil be able to complete the project before winter weather interferes. Should Applicant be unable to complete the project this fall, it wil complete the project as soon as weather permits in the spring. Reply to Staff Report BCS- W -09-02 2 STAFF EXPENSE ADJUSTMENTS Staff proposes five (5 adjustments to Applicants operating expenses. Staff proposes to; 1) eliminate $7,950 of Labor costs ($6,000 water master and $1,950 Administration/bookkeeping), 2) increase pumping power costs by $2,445 to reconize a rate increase from Kootenai Electric Cooperative effective November 1,2009,3) eliminate $818 of Applicants calculated normalized water testing expenses, 4) Eliminate $12,628 of Applicants actual recorded professional expenses and 5) adjust Applicants depreciation expense downward by $4,316 to recognize Staffs adjustments to Rate Base discussed above. Applicant acæpts Staff adjustment numbers two (2) and three (3). Staffs Attachment NO.5 to its report is a work paper prepared by Applicant to show the effect of the Kootenai Electric Cooperative rate increase. Staffs adjustment to the Water Testing Expenses correctly adjusts Applicants costs in lieu of the calculations of the Company using erroneous data. Applicant objects to Staffs adjustment of $6,000 (part of Adjustment No. 1) for water master labor charges. Staff indicates on page 6 of its report that it ". .. contacted other water master services in the area and found one instance where a water company only paid $1,300 per month for a water system that served over 300 hundred customers." (Staff report page 6, emphasis added) Staff did not indicate who the water master serviæ provider was, the water system being served nor the level of service provided to this water system. Water Master Service companies wil provide the minimum serviæ required to meet Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) requirements, maximum serviæ including total management, operation, maintenanæ, customer biling etc or something in between. If Staff found only one company that paid only $1,300 per month it must be assumed that the service provided was the bare minimum required by DEQ. Staff did not indicate whether they had inquired about other operating and maintenance costs paid by the example company for other serviæs not contracted for with the water master service company Reply to Staff Report BCS- W -09-02 3 Applicant, in its work papers and responses to production requests, provided Staff with the names of water master serviæ companies the Company had contacted for comparison water master labor charges at the time the Application was prepared. Subsequent to reæiving Staffs report, Applicant confirmed with Staff that the example company cited by Staff was Spirit Lake East water system who contracts with Water Systems Inc. to provide Water Master Services. The contract between these two Parties provides for a two hour service call every two weeks. Any repair and maintenance that cannot be performed within the contracted 2 hr period is performed at an additional charge of $45 per hour. The two hour service call includes travel time of about one hour leaving one hour of service on site at the water system. An additional charge of $0.65 per mile is charged for travel of approxirTately 25 miles or an additional charge of approximately $32 per month. The contract also provides for twice per year blow-off of flush valves and inspection and adjustment of pressure tanks on a quarterly basis. Enclosed 3 page Exhibit No. 10 provides the details of the charges by Waterworks. The water master labor expense for Bar Circle "s" Water Company includes not only the minimum water master service but all routine operation and maintenance costs of the company on a daily basis including well and reservoir inspections, patrollng the service area water mains daily to identify leaks and damage to the system and making minor repairs to the distribution system as neæssary. Staffs recommendation would provide compensation of $1 ,000 per month for total operation and maintenanæ labor costs including water master service as compared to the one company staff identified that pays as little as $1,300 per month. Applicant believes that an additional $300 per month in addition to the minimum $1,300 identified by Staff is quite frugal considering the additional services and responsibilities. Applicant also objects to Staffs $1,950 adjustment (remainder of Adjustment No.1) to bookkeeping serviæ. Staff ties this adjustment to its rate base adjustment (discussed earlier) for the automated meter reading system and Reply to Staff Report BCS- W -09-02 4 states "If the Company were to convert to the automated meter reading system, the customers would be biled on actual usage every month. This would require additional bookkeeping services. Those additional serviæs are not now required with the Company's decision to not do automated meter reading, and the increase for bookkeeping should not be allowed." (Report page 7) As discussed earlier the Staff has incorrectly assumed the automated billng system project has been canælled. Staff also ignores the other services provided in addition to bookkeeping including bil payments, bank reconciliation, phone answering service, dispatching, dealing with regulatory agencies or any other general office management serviæ. In both adjustments to labor discussed above Staff compares requested labor costs to actual cost paid in 2008 and indicates the increases are too great. Staff ignores the fact that these costs have not increased for a number of years because the water company simply could not afford higher costs. Water master labor costs have not increased since 2004 and Bookkeeping labor costs have not increased since 2005. Staff has pointed out that these serviæs are provided by an affiliated company with common ownership. As pointed out in the original Application ''The charges include direct labor costs as well as employer provided taxes and benefits including unemployment insuranæ, FICA taxes, workman's compensation insurance, health insurance, vacation pay, sick pay, etc. In addition, Bar Circle "s" owns no utility vehicles. The labor charges paid to Avondale include all vehicle related operating expenses including fuel, depreciation, insuranæ, taxes, repairs and maintenanæ." (Application Pg 6) Simply put, the affiliated company, Avondale Construction, its owners and employees, have been subsidizing the water company for a number of years. Applicant opposes Staffs Expense Adjustment NO.4 for Professional Services. Staff has reduæd the Applicant's professional expenses by $12,628 to a total allowanæ of $500 annually for the preparation of income taxes only. Staff stated that "The Company included $11,628 of expenses paid to consultants and engineers for serviæs provided to the Company that related to the preparation Reply to Staff Report BCS- W -09-02 5 and approval of the intertie between the Company's system and the Double T Subdivision." (Report Page 8) Staff assigns all these costs to approval of the interconnection and assumes such costs have no benefit to the system as a whole. Enclosed 2 page Exhibit NO.9 is e-mail correspondence between Applicant's consultant and Mr. Gary Gaffney of the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in Coeur d'Alene. The Commission Staff has ben copied with this correspondenæ. That correspondence indicates that as early as 2004, the DEQ was conærned about the general capacity of the Bar Circle "s" system and was requesting a comprehensive water production and demand monitoring program. DEQ's intent was to have the Company use the data to model system performanæ using actual data. The correspondenæ from Mr. Gaffney goes on to say that the addition of the Double T Estates to the system allowed DEQ to require the hydraulic analysis. Further it indicates that without Double T Estates the DEQ would have still pushed Applicant to do the study. Further, the correspondenæ indicates that DEQ intends to have the engineer for the Company rerun the hydraulic model with new data indicating Applicant wil continue to incur engineering expense. Staff has not reviewed the ongoing nature of professional fees Applicant has realized. The Company incurred professional outside service expenses for engineering, legal and consulting services (excluding taxes) of $3,400 in 2005, $1,300 in 2006, $415 in 2007, and in 2009 an additional cost of $4,400 related to the water system hydraulic modeling project. The Idaho Department of Water Resouræs has begun an adjudication project for the Rathdrum aquifer and Applicant expects to incur future legal costs to insure and protect its water rights. During the course of this case, Applicant has heard the comments and criticisms of its customers regarding the magnitude of the increase requested and the burden it imposes upon them especially during the high use summer months. Ttle Company has had preliminary discussions with its consultant and intends to look into the possibility of initiating a budget pay plan for the Commission's consideration to be responsive to our customers conærns. Reply to Staf Report BCS- W -09-02 6 Applicant believes an annual professional fees expense allowanæ of at least $5,000 in addition to the cost of tax preparation is justified as not unreasonable. Staffs Adjustment NO.5 is a mechanical proæss. The adjustment is tied directly to the rate base adjustments discussed earlier. Staff, in its calculations of revenue requirement properly removed the loan approved by the Commission in case No. BCS-W-09-01 from the capital structure to calculate the overall 12% return on rate base the Commission should approve in this case. However, Staffs approach assumes the loan wil not be completed sinæ Staff assumes the electronic metering project wil not be completed. As discussed above, the metering project wil be completed this fall and the loan wil be required to provide the funds to complete the project. Restoring the loan to the capital structure produæs a weighted cost of capital or required return on rate base of 10.59% as requested in the Company's original application Staff included $6,667 of rate case expenses amortized over 5 years in its calculation of the Company's revenue requirement. This amount was based upon Applicant's estimated costs included with the original Application. That estimate included actual costs to prepare and file the Application together with an estimated cost of $1 ,000 to complete the case including responding to production requests, preparing this reply and filing final Tariffs. Applicant's $1,000 estimate was understated. Applicant has incurred addition costs of $1,680 to prepare responses to production request of the Staff, $2,125 to analyze staffs report and prepare this reply and estimates at least another $255 to prepare and file final tariffs after the Commission issues its final order in this case. Applicant's total Rate Case Cost of $9,922 should be amortized over a period of three (3) years as opposed to the five (5) years proposed by Staff. Applicant intends to be more dilgent in adjusting rates in response to increasing costs in the future to avoid subsidizing the water operation and such large increases in the future. We Reply to Staff Report BCS- W -09-02 7 believe our customers wil better understand and accept more frequent and smaller adjustment to their water rates. Attached Exhibit Number 8 reflects the Rate Base, operating results and Revenue Requirement Applicant requires based upon the Discussion above restoring items Staff eliminated and accepting those adjustments Staff proposed with which the Company agrees. As shown on lines31 and 32 of that exhibit, Applicant requires an increase in revenues of $70,175 or 104.34% Respectfully submitted, ,~ President Reply to Sta Report BCS- W -09-02 8 Page 1 of3 Avondale Construction Subject: "Bob Smith" .:utiltygroup~yahoo.com~ "Bob Turnipseed" .:avondalecon~erizon.net~ Monday, November 02,200910:17 AM BarCircleSRanch. DoubleTsub.8-4-5.doc; BarCircleSRanchPWS.1 0-27 -5.doc; BarCircleSRanchPWS.1-10-6.doc; BarCircleSRanchPWS. Double TExtension. 9-23-8.doc; BarCircleSRanchPWS.Double TExtension.12-4-8.doc; BarCircleSRanchPWS.6-23-5.doc Fw: Bar Circle S Ranch Water System - Hydraulic Analysi From: To: Sent:Attch: Robert E. Smith, Utilty Consultant Cell (208) 761-9501 Fax (208) 322-2944 ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: "Gary .Gaffney(§deq. idaho.gov" -:Gary.Gaffney(§deq.idaho.gov,, To: utiltygroup(§yahoo.com Cc: bweymouth(§to-engineers.com; gerry .galinato(§puc.idaho.gov; Joe.Leckieipuc.idaho.gov Sent: Fri, October 30, 2009 4:48:00 PM Subjec: Bar Circle S Ranch Water System - Hydraulic Analysi Bob, Stang about four to five years ago when the Rach Aero water system was incorporated into the Bar Circle S water system, we began to have concern about the general capacity of the system. The concern was not based on complaits about the service as much as it was on the large size of the properties served and the potential for very large irgation demands. Our first attempt to address ths concern was to require the operator to monitor water production and consumption in a maner that would provide actu data valuable in predicting system performance. About this same time a proposal for Double T Estates was submitted which fuer supported the need for a comprehensive look at performance of the existing system alone and at the system with Double T included. In 2005 we received information suggesting peak demand at Bar Circle S for water was 2,364 gallons per day (gpd) which was well in excess of the 1500 gpd peak demand value used in the previous Master Plan prepared for Bar Circle S. This new inormation increased our concern about possible system limitations and the need for intensified monitorig of production and consumption of water. In our Janua 10, 2006 letter we indicated tht "The one remaining compliance item that you did not specifically address involves a commtment from you to conduct a comprehensive water production and demand monitoring program during 2006. We asked for this report because the water consumption criterion used by your engineer in the master plan for ths system may prove to be significantly lower than the actul water consumption data." Once the data was available from this effort, our plan was to use it have the owner model system performance using actu numbers. Fast forward to 2008 when a proposal for adding Double T Estates was: submitted along with a hydraulic anlysis of the system. The analysis was eventually accepted and phase 1 of Double T built. The Idaho Rules for Public Drinkg Water Systems (Section 503.03.g) allow DEQ to require a hydraulic analysis as par of the Preliminar Engineering Report required whenever a water system undergoes a modification. We used the opportunity of Double T Estates to require a hydraulic analysis. With or without the concerns about the existig system's high demands, Double T would have trggered the analysis. Without Double T Estates, DEQ would have stil pushed the developer to do the analysis because there were enough undeveloped lots with the system to suggest a growig demand might create problems. ~híbil.lq ... .. i~PIY to ,Sttff) ÐC- w - O'..O~ PIUl- I of ') Page 2 of3 With instalation of better meters this year and (hopefully) the operator having read the meters frequently durng peak usge, we wil be receiving much improved water production and consumption data ths Janua. It is our intention is to have the engineer for Bar Circle S employ the new data in the hydraulic analysis to see if the predictions are changed from the 2008 analysis. The bottom line is the hydraulic analysis benefitted both the existing users because we leared if there were any problems in the existing distrbution system and benefitted the developer by providing Bar Circle S with justification for allowing the subdivision to connect. In this instace I'd suggest a 50-50 split of the benefits from the analysis. Gar J. Gafney, P.E. Idaho DEQ Coeur d'Alene (208)666-4612 or 769-1422 From: Bob Smith (mailto:utiltygroup(§yahoo.com) sent: Friday, October 30,2009 12:27 PM To: Gary Gaffney Subjec: Gar . Thans Gary. I put you e-mail address in as all lower case. Here is my original message. Following up on our phone conversation her is the sitution. I am sending this also to Ben Weymouth (with Bob Turpseed's permission) at ToothanOrtn Eng for any input he may have. Ben I would appreciate any comment you may offer also. I am consulting Bob Turpseed on his Bar Circle "S" Water Company Application with Idaho Public Utilties Commssion.(Case No. BCS-W-9-02) 1. Bar Circle "S" Water Company was required by DEQ to hire Toothman-Oren Engineering to perform a hydraulic modeling study of the water system in 2008. The Company Spent over $11,000 to perform the Study. 2. Bar Circle "S" Water Company curently has an application filed with the Idaho Public Utilities Commssion (PUC) for a rate increase. It has been more than nineteen years since the company increase its rates so the curent application is quite large. 3. The Staff at the PUC is tag the position that the need for the study was precipitated by Bar Circle "S " desire to expand its system to serve the new Double T Estates subdivision. Therefore the entire cost of the study should have been paid by the developer of the new subdivision not by the water company. Their position assumes tht all the benefits of the study accrue to the developer of the new subdivision and the existing customers of Bar Circle "S" Water Company do not realize any benefit. 4. PUC Stahas eliminated the cost of the studies from their fInancial analysis and propose to deny recovery of these costs as an operating expense for the company in determinig rates to be chaged for water service. 5. The Company of course objects to the entire elimnation of these costs and believes there is a benefit to the management of the company and its existing customers resulting from the studies. We would appreciate any insight you may have regarding cost!nefit of such a study for a water system. How often do you believe such a study should be performed. Any other volunta comments regarding the benefits of such a study Than you for your attention to ths issue. Unfortately, operating is a quai legal envionment, we are on a strct legal time line and must submit a reply to the Commssion Staff early next week. Your cooperation and insight is much appreciated. Than You, Bob b~hLbit llq (~Iy to Stiff) lbCb ., vJ, O'l ' Oi. PAße, ;; cf 2J Bar Circle liS" Water Company Calculation of Required Revenue Item 1 Plant in Service Proposed by Staff $ 2 Electronic Meter Reading Equipment 4 Corrected Plant in Serviæ 5 Accumulated Depreciation Proposed by Staff $ 6 Electronic Meter Reading Equipment 8 Corrected Accumulated Depreciation 9 Net Plant in Serviæ 10 Working Capital 11 Total Rate Base 12 Required Rate of Return 13 Net Operating Income Required 14 Gross Revenue Per Staff 15 Operating Expenses Per Staff $ 16 Labor Charges 17 Professional Services 18 Corrected Operating Expenses 19 Depreciation Expense Per Staff 20 Depreciation Expense Meter Reading Equip 22 Corrected Depreciation Expense 23 Net Operating Loss 24 Revenue Increase required to Overcome Loss 25 Incremental PUC Fees ~ .1662% 26 Total Revenue to Overcome Loss 27 Net Operating Income Required 28 Gross-up Factor 29 Revenue Required to Produce Income Required 30 Amortize Rate Case Expenses 31 Total Revenue Increase Required 32 Percent Increase Required (A)(B) 330,695 45,000 $375,695 131,191 0 131,191 $244,504 10,069 $254,573 10.59% $ 26,959.23 $67,255 67,098 7,950 5,500 $80,548 15,989 3,000 18,989 $(32,282) 32,282 54 $32,336 26,959 128.09% 34,532 3,308 $70,175 104.34% Exhibit No. 8 (Reply to Staff BCS-W-09-02 ATERWOAKS U,íAT(,A .. +UC\, ~ Fax To:From: Bo Smit 1-208-3Í"2-294 Leslie Abms Fax Pa 3 incuding coer Ph Date 11/01109 Re . Water Wors, Inc.~ . ,-cc o Ui 0 For Rev 0 Pl Co 0 Pl Re 0 PlRe . Commets: Bob, Following are the anua chages for Spint Lake Eat. The bas anua charges, ending with the anua subtota of 15,420.80 come out to approx 1285.00 a month. The chages on page two are for the requied reporting for the IDEQ, we provide these as optional to our systems, some choose to do it themselves some have us do it. The thgs that I chose to include in a monthy charge to SLEWCo, as opposed to charging for them hourly or by the job, were costs that we know ar fairly stagnant. There are some other thgs th we chage hourly on tht ar requied only in cert years or ca var gratly pe system, such as the Santa Surey, lead and copper testing, other requied sapling, valve exercising, meter readg, biling and receivig, etc. Most of the time afer the fi year most of operation these varable items can be built into the anua cost estiate and paid monthy because we have a "test year" to set their individual rates frm. The pnce I quoted to the PUC included the items on page one only and are only pnces for our system of just over 300 hook ups. Let me know if you need any clarfication on anytg! Leslie P.O. Box 920 Rathdrum ID 83858 .. Phone: 208.667.0726 .. Fax: 208.667.0745 E-mail: info€?mywaterworksonline.com ww.mywterworksonline.com £Xh~b;t ~ 10 (~epl Y lo Staff) e£5 - \¡.. fJ- D z. l~v i of .3 ~~,~g~~? Rathrum, il 83858 1.208.687.0802 offce 1.208.687.1583 fax info &l mywaterworksonline.com Name / Address Estimate Date Estimate # 111/200 42 Spit Lae East Watr P.O. Box 3388 Coeur D Alene ID 83816 Description Qty U/M Rate Total Responsible charge operaor. 2 hour visit per week includes 104 45.00 4,680.00 travel time. RT mieage port to port (Spirit Lae Eat) 40 mies 2,080 in 0.65 1,352.00 Backup operator charge monthly. $100 Miniuni up to 100 12 300.00 3,600.00 customers. $50 for each additional 50 customers up to 5OD. Includes 24 hour on ca support and wi act as RCO when reuested and scheduled. Quaerly site visit includig mieae included in cost. Monthly Bacee Samplig. One sample pe month includes 24 45.00 1,080.00 pung sample, checkig chlorine at well house and at site, and delivery tie to lab. La fees not included. RT mieage port to port (Spirt Lae East) 40 mies. To 480 in 0.65 312.00Spirit La. RT mieage port to port (Coe D Alene) 36 mies. To 432 in 0.65 280.80 Laoratory. Pressure ta quaerly ai check. 6 hour per quarer 24 45.00 1,080.00 includes trvel time. Consists of drang and aig up al pressure tas to determne accury of pressure ta RT nueae port to poral (Spirit Lae Eat) 40 mies 160 in 0.65 104.00 End oflne twice per yea flushig. Require by IDEQ. 2 64 45.00 2,880.00 days 2 men. RT mieage port to portal (Spit La East) 40 mies 80 in 0.65 52.00 Subtota 15,420.80 Than you for your business. I Total Page 1 Exhi\?~r ¡s ID (Replt tD Stoff) ~ - W- Oq-op lllt- ~ of 8 ~~~~gB~~ Rathdru, ID 83858 1.208.687.0802 offce 1.208.687.1583 fax info (g mywaterworksonline.com Name / Address Spirit La East Watr P.O. Box 3388 Coeur D Alene ID 83816 Estimate Date Estimate # 1111200 42 Description Qty UlM Rate Total Annual Consumer Confidence Report to DEQ. Includes 1 513.40 513.40 prpang, on site posting, on line poting, and customer notce of report by ma. Annual sampling plan review and preparation.1 45.00 45.00 Cross Connection Control Progra. Per Customer $5.10.320 5.10 1,632.00 Than you for your business. $17,611.20 II Total Page 2 ~xhltii+ .# ID C~tpiy tv &aff) M'" W.. o'l-Oi, P€lf- ô lJf 3