The municipal water tank in Destin, Florida, was announced on Friday, Oct. 27, as the winner of this year’s Tank of the Year competition sponsored by high-performance coatings provider Tnemec Co., Inc. (Kansas City, Missouri).
The legged 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 city of Destin water tank reflects the tranquility and beauty of the coastal resort town in the Florida Panhandle,” said Doug Hansen, director of the company’s water tank market business. “The tank’s exterior was repainted this year using an advanced fluoropolymer coating system that provides unsurpassed color and gloss retention.”
Top 12 Tank Finalists
Other water tanks among the top 12 finalists in the 2017 competition were in Gaffney, South Carolina; St. Cloud, Minnesota; Eden Prairie, Minnesota; Wasaga Beach, Ontario, Canada; Sunnyvale, California; Port Arthur, Texas; Wichita, Kansas; Coopertown, Tennessee; Auburndale, Florida; Lisle, Illinois; and Paxton, Illinois.
“This is the 12th anniversary of the competition, which recognizes municipalities for their aesthetic, creative, and innovative uses of exterior coatings on water storage tank projects,” Hansen said. “This year’s nominations represent several different types of water tanks including legged designs, composite constructions, a ground storage tank, and pedestal style in various shapes and sizes.”
People’s Choice Winner
The tank in Gaffney, South Carolina, was voted the “People’s Choice” winner during contest, having garnered more than 2,400 online votes. The 1-million gal elevated water tank is known as the “Peachoid” because it resembles a peach.
“The Peach in Gaffney is one of the most famous water tanks in the United States,” Hansen said. “The ‘Peachoid’ has been featured in the Netflix series House of Cards and in numerous websites and magazines, including one in France. Resembling a ripe peach, the tank was commissioned in 1981 and recoated with an advanced fluoropolymer coating system in May 2017.”
The People’s Choice water tank received the most online votes from a field of nearly 300 water tanks nominated for the competition. The top-voted tank was also considered alongside 11 other committee-determined water tanks for the company’s official Tank of the Year competition.
All 12 finalist tanks will be featured in the company’s forthcoming 2018 water tank calendar.