In the summer of 2001, Yucaipa Valley Water District General Manager Joe Zoba faced the challenge of what to do with a new 32 feet high and 92 feet in diameter 1.5-million-gallon water tank smack in the middle of town. There was no way to hide it, or was there?
“Most of our tanks are tucked away in the ridges and valleys of this rugged terrain,” Zoba explained. “But our newest water tank is different. It is a huge presence at a busy intersection behind a shopping center.” This was the second of three tanks to be built for the planned community of Chapman Heights within the city of Yucaipa. Zoba said he knew some kind of innovative solution was necessary to either show it off, or find a way to blend it in to its bustling downtown environment.
The tank’s interior and exterior steel plates received a prime coat shop. The tank interior roof and rafters and all exterior surfaces received a single coat of Series 90-97 Tneme-Zinc, a zinc-rich aromatic urethane. The interior shell and floor were primed with Series N140 Pota-Pox Plus, a polyamidoamine epoxy. Once assembled on the downtown site, the tank was field-spot-primed inside and out in all welded areas by J. Colon Coatings. The contractor then finished the tank interior roof and rafters, floor and shell with three coats of Series N140. This combination of zinc and epoxy provides the tank with a 20-year life expectancy for the coatings.
The tank interior was completed in late 2001. At the time, only Series 90-97 protected the exterior. Not sure whether to paint the exterior with an intentionally eye-catching object or find a way to make it blend into the background, Zoba turned to the tank engineer for guidance. After consulting with the Tnemec coatings consultant on the project, it was decided to hire the Hennigs, a husband and wife team near Seattle who were becoming recognized for making unmistakable water tanks blend beautifully into their natural surroundings and neighborhoods. The idea was to paint a design that would blend with the planted trees during the next 10 years as the trees grew up around the tank,” Rod Hennig said. With the Hennigs’ design approved, the contractor applied an intermediate coat of Series N140, followed by a finish coat of Series 1075 Endura-Shield II, a high-performance, semi-gloss polyurethane that would become the paint system for the mural itself. The tank exterior was completed in May 2002. In 2002, the Steel Plate Fabricators Association (SPFA) awarded this tank their prestigious “Steel Tank of the Year” award. “This tank has instilled a sense of community pride,” Zoba said.