Nominations are now being accepted for the Tnemec 2010 Tank of the Year competition, announced Doug Hansen, director of sales, Water Tank Market. “This is the fifth consecutive year we have recognized the aesthetic, creative and innovative uses of Tnemec coatings on water tanks,” Hansen explained. “The deadline for submitting new construction or renovation projects is early October and all tank styles are eligible as long as they are completed by that deadline.”

Nomination forms are available from Tnemec coating consultants or online by e-mailing the Tnemec Marketing Department with “Tank of the Year” in your subject line. Nomination forms must be accompanied by a photo of the tank. Nominations are judged by a committee of water tank enthusiasts based on several criteria including artistic value, significance of the tank to the surrounding community and challenges encountered during the project.

Tnemec’s 2009 Tank of the Year winner is a 2-million-gallon Hydropillar® featuring exterior artwork inspired by its location inside Darree Fields Park, a major sports and recreation complex operated by the City of Dublin, Ohio. “The 2009 selection features an impressive pallet of earth tone colors serving as a background for silhouettes of larger than life sports action figures,” Hansen noted. “The sports theme is a perfect fit with the baseball and softball diamonds, soccer fields and Dublin’s Miracle League Field where children with disabilities compete in sports.”

The project features a high-gloss fluoropolymer finish that complies with Ohio’s environmental regulations for volatile organic compound (VOC) content limit. “Tnemec’s Series V700 Low-VOC HydroFlon is a high-gloss fluoropolymer coating that is VOC compliant in Ohio,” Hansen shared. “With its unprecedented long-term gloss and color retention and resistance to ultraviolet (UV) light, HydroFlon was specified on nearly 350 water tank projects over the past 12 months.”

City of Dublin officials welcomed the news of the Tank of the Year selection. “The City of Dublin is honored to be chosen as the 2009 recipient,” according to Dublin City Engineer Paul Hammersmith. “The City is proud of its new 2-million-gallon, fluted column tank, which was part of a $4.5 million water system improvement project in Darree Fields Park. The tank’s mural of children highlights its setting in the park.

“The tank was designed to provide additional water storage and supply to support anticipated growth and development in the city’s west and southwest sections. The City’s Division of Parks and Open Space use the interior of the tank as a shop area, storage facility, and break room for staff. A geothermal system provides heat for the space for staff use."

“CB&I is very pleased that Tnemec has recognized the unique color scheme developed for the Darree Fields tank by the City of Dublin,” project manager Dan Johnson acknowledged. “The city deserves credit for selecting a winning color palette and design.”

Johnson’s statement was echoed by Tnemec coating consultant Dan Haines, who observed, “In the City of Dublin, they take a very strong interest in the aesthetics of their town – even the aesthetics of a water tank.”

Haines identified the five finish colors of the award-winning tank as Gray Oak, Stout, Clover, Ginger Mist and Castle Gray. Each finish color was brush- and roller-applied over an off-white intermediate coat of Series 73 Endura-Shield, an acrylic polyurethane. “Each of the five colors provided good coverage and hide with a single coat,” Haines confirmed. “With some fluoropolymer coatings, multiple coats may be required because they don’t offer adequate hide or cover in one coat.”

The design, prepared by URS Corporation of Columbus, Ohio, was coordinated with the Columbus Division of Power & Water (DOPW), which operates the tank and continuously monitors water-quality parameters such as free chlorine, pH, turbidity, and conductivity.

"URS enjoyed working with the City of Dublin, Columbus DOPW, CB&I, and Tnemec on this tank project,” acknowledged Bill Johngrass, P.E., project manager for URS. “The design, in addition to the coating system, includes a number of unique features such as geothermal heating, water quality monitoring and mixed-use to meet the needs of the owner."

Located in Central Ohio, the City of Dublin is celebrating its bicentennial in 2010. Today, Dublin is recognized for its historic preservation of early 19th century architecture with several of its original buildings listed on the National Registry of Historical Places. Dublin is also headquarters for Ashland Chemical Company, Wendy’s, Cardinal Health, and is home of Jack Nicklaus’ The Memorial Tournament.

The Tnemec Tank of the Year competition has become very popular in the industry since its inception in 2006, Hansen added. “Previous selections have been featured on national networks, including The Today Show, and in several publications including the cover of Journal of Protective Coatings and Linings,” Hansen added. “Tanks from this year’s competition are featured in the company’s 2010 water tank calendar.”

Click here to access high resolution photos of Tnemec’s 2009 Tank of the Year, along with runners-up and previous winning entries.