Ski Santa Fe, a popular ski resort just 16 miles outside of Sante Fe, New Mexico, contacted D&R Tank in Albuquerque to design and build a 5.0 MG ground storage tank for storing water used for, among other things, its snow making machines. The tank had to be built at an elevation of 11,800 feet to accommodate pressure and volume requirements for various slopes at the resort.

D&R sized the tank to get maximum storage volume while still blending into the surrounding environment. For long-term performance and reliable customer service, the team at D&R decided to apply Tnemec coatings to the tank exterior and interior.

Just getting to the site was a challenge, and most equipment had to be moved up the mountain by bulldozer. The high elevation of the site made painting difficult due to the short coating season and ever-changing weather.

Interior surfaces were prepared in accordance with SSPC-SP 10/NACE 2 Near White Metal Blast Cleaning; exterior surfaces were prepared in accordance with SSPC-SP 6/NACE 3 Commercial Blast Cleaning. Both the exterior and the interior received a prime coat of Series 91-H2O Hydro-Zinc, a moisture-cured, zinc-rich urethane certified for potable water storage in accordance with NSF/ANSI Standard 61.

Applicators applied two coats of the high-build, potable-water-certified epoxy from Tnemec, Series FC20 Pota-Pox, to the tank interior. This product was chosen because it can cure quickly at typical ambient temperatures and offers a cold-temp cure down to 35ºF (2ºC).

The tank’s exterior received an intermediate coat of Series FC20 followed by a finish coat of Series 1074 Endura-Shield II, an acrylic polyurethane coating highly resistant to abrasion, wet conditions and exterior weathering.

At just the right height relative to the tree line, the tank blends into the surrounding environment perfectly. The tank fabricator and owner are both extremely pleased with the result and the Ski Santa Fe resort continues to operate as needed.