It’s hard to conceal a 2.9-million-gallon water storage tank, but in the South Hill neighborhood of Puyallup, Washington, a 105-foot-tall by 70-foot diameter structure is shielded from public criticism by a landscape mural featuring an advanced technology coating system from Tnemec. “The mural incorporates Douglas Firs and other local tree species of the Pacific Northwest, enabling the tank to harmonize with the forested perimeter of the reservoir site,” explained coating consultant Scott McConnell of TNW, Inc. “The result has been a transformation of a utility facility to a local community landmark and asset.”
The tank interior and exterior steel was prepared by the fabricator and primed with Tnemec’s Series N140 Pota-Pox Plus, a polyamidoamine epoxy. The potable water coating conforms with air pollution regulations limiting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to a maximum of 250 grams per litre.
After construction, exterior steel received a white base-coat of Series 27 F.C. Typoxy, a polyamide epoxy, and two finish coats of Series 1029 Enduratone, a water-based low-VOC High Dispersion Pure (HDP) acrylic polymer. Series 1029 was also used for the mural graphics consisting of seven different colors, including Old World Jade, Artic Rain, Sadona Brown and Foilage.
The artwork was commissioned by the Firgrove Mutual Water Company, which owns the tank, and painted by Rolf and Peter Goetzinger, who have completed more than two dozen water tank murals in California and the Pacific Northwest since the late 1990s. The artists selected trees and foliage that matched the landscape for the mural.
Interior steel was primed by the fabricator using Series 91-H2O Hydro-Zinc, a zinc-rich primer that provides outstanding long-term corrosion resistance to the interior and exterior of steel potable water tanks. Once assembled, the interior received a coat of Series N140. Both interior coatings are certified by NSF International in accordance with ANSI/NSF Standard 61 for use in potable water. Nearly 1,100 gallons of coatings were required to finish the interior and exterior of the project.
“The water tank has attracted attention from the local news media, which has described the mural as a welcome addition to the city’s South Hill neighborhood,” McConnell noted. “Reaction from the community has been very positive.”
The Firgrove Mutual Water Company water tank was voted as a finalist in the 2012 Tnemec Tank of the Year.