For almost 50 years, Tnemec Company Inc. has supplied coatings and linings for water storage tanks, protecting them from corrosion, ultraviolet light degradation and exterior weathering. In 2006, to celebrate water tank coating projects around the world, Tnemec created the annual Tank of the Year contest. The competition for Tank of the Year has grown every year since then, with more and more water tanks entering the contest and increased involvement from a wide range of applicators, engineers, municipalities and communities.
The municipal water tank in Ann Arbor, MI, is this year’s winner of the Tank of the Year competition. The 500,000-gallon elevated water tank was selected by a panel of water tank enthusiasts based on criteria such as artistic value, significance of the tank to the community and challenges encountered during the project.
“The Ann Arbor water tower was repainted this year using a design that depicts various birds in flight, as well as fish swimming in the Huron River, which supplies drinking water to Ann Arbor,” according to Doug Hansen, Director, Water Tank Market for Tnemec. “The design was the winning entry in the city’s ‘Art in the Sky’ public art contest that drew nearly 600 entries from city residents of all ages.”
Standing on Manchester Road, the Ann Arbor water tower was recoated in May using Tnemec’s advanced fluoropolymer coating system for unsurpassed color and gloss retention.
The tank was among the top 12 finalists in public voting during the 2016 Tank of the Year competition. Other water tanks among the top 12 finalists for 2016 are located in Champaign, IL; Durand, MI; Garnavillo, IA; Gulf Shores, AL; La Porte, TX; Laurens, SC; Lumberton, NC; Olathe, KS; Ontario, CA; Houston County, GA; and York, NE.
The Houston County, GA, water tank received the largest number of online votes this year to make it the winner of the People’s Choice category.
“This is the 11th anniversary of the Tank of the Year competition, which recognizes the most impressive coatings projects in the water tank industry,” Hansen added. “This year, 246 water tanks were nominated from across the U.S. and Canada. We are thrilled with how the contest has grown year after year due to individual communities supporting their local water tanks.”
The Tank of the Year will be featured on the month of January in Tnemec’s 2017 water tank calendar. All finalists and nominations will be included in the following months of the calendar.
Tnemec Company Inc., Kansas City, MO
