Across the U.S., communities are turning their elevated water towers into symbols of public pride by commissioning mimetic artwork, school mascots, logos and other imaginative designs on the exterior surface of the structure. The practice dates back more than a half-century, according to American City & County, which profiled the origins of several iconic water tanks, including the “Peachoid” tower along Interstate 85 in Gaffney, S.C. “There, a steel peach symbolizes the town’s one-time claim to fame as home to one of the largest peach-producing farms in the state,” the article explained. “The Peachoid now stands as a calling card for the South Carolina Peach Festival, held annually in Gaffney.”
Other crops celebrated on elevated water tanks are showcased in an article for AmericanProfile.com, which listed a pumpkin in Circleville, Ohio; an apple in Jackson, Ohio; a watermelon in Luling, Texas; a strawberry in Poteet, Texas; and a pineapple in Honolulu, Hawaii.
“In the Swedish-American communities of Stanton, Iowa (population 714), and Lindstrom, Minn. (population 3,015), residents give top billing to their heritage with water towers that resemble Swedish coffeepots, complete with spouts, handles and painted with decorative hearts and flowers,” reported AmericanProfile.com. “Stanton has a second water tower that looks like a coffee cup and holds 150,000 gallons – enough to make 2.4 million cups of coffee. The town has a coffee claim to fame with hometown actress Virginia Christine, who portrayed Mrs. Olson in the 1960s Folgers Coffee commercials, in which she served up coffee and advice to newlyweds.”
Until recently, most water towers were protected with lead paint, and wax and even hot-applied tar on the interiors, American City & County reported. Citing an official with Caldwell Tanks in Louisville, Ky., the magazine noted that many tanks built in the 1950s and 1960s are due for a “complete recoating.” The Caldwell spokesman acknowledged, “Many municipalities are going through a very expensive maintenance cycle on their older tanks to get rid of the lead paint.”
The lead paint on water tanks is being replaced by a new generation of advanced coating systems that use high-build epoxy, polyurethane and fluoropolymer technology, according to Doug Hansen, director, Tnemec Water Tank Market. “When you have a decorative tank, you want it to last as long as possible,” Hansen noted. “The life of the water tank design will be extended when these high performance coating systems are used to protect it against the elements.”
In the Marion County Industrial Park, S.C., a nondescript water tower was recently recoated with fluoropolymer technology from Tnemec to resemble a brightly colored inflatable beach ball as part of a new marketing campaign that uses the slogan, “it’s just right.” Exterior steel received an overcoat of Series 135 Chembuild, a modified polyamine epoxy primer for marginally prepared rusty steel and tightly adhering old coatings and an intermediate coat of Series 175 Endura-Shield II, an aliphatic acrylic polyurethane. The finish coat was Series 700 Hydroflon, an advanced thermoset fluoropolymer with outstanding ultraviolet (UV) light resistance and excellent color and gloss retention. The tank’s interior was primed with Series 91-H2O Hydro-Zinc, an aromatic urethane, zinc-rich primer, and two coats of Series N140 Pota-Pox Plus, a polyamidoamine epoxy.
The Marion County water tower is located on U.S. Route 501, which travelers use en route to South Carolina’s popular beachfront known as the Grand Strand. “The hope is that this tank will help make Marion County a familiar spot on the map for tourists and make a normal business park interesting and exciting,” Tnemec coating consultant Nick Vause noted. “The county has already received public feedback and press attention regarding this unmistakable landmark. Passersby are often seen pulled over on the side of the road taking photographs of the tank and county officials have had numerous conversations with curious and impressed visitors to the tank.” The tank was a finalist in Tnemec’s 2010 Tank of the Year contest.
In addition to beach ball designs, there are numerous water tanks around the country resembling golf balls on tees, baseballs, hot air balloons and “happy faces.” Some communities express their patriotism with water towers featuring the American flag, such as those found in Cocoa, Fla., and Wahoo, Neb., while others express community pride with artwork of school mascots. Among the mascots captured in Tnemec coating systems are “Big Red” at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Ky.; Troy University’s Trojan in Troy, Ala.; high school mascot “Buzzy the Hornet“ in Huntsville, Texas; and the Lakes Community School Eagles in the Village of Lake Villa, Ill., which was named the 2009 Tnemec Tank of the Year.
A feature story on The Today Show even described the water tower in Rosemont, Ill., as “high art” for its intricate rose design that has been an area landmark since 1982. The Rosemont tank was chosen as Tnemec’s 2008 Tank of the Year. In that report, a spokesman for Chicago Bridge and Iron (CBI) Company, which designs, fabricates and constructs water storage tanks, told Today that, “Aesthetics is at the top of the customer’s list.” In echoing that view, Hansen added, “We’re seeing more and more creativity and artwork on the exterior of municipal water tanks as their owners realize the value of their image.”