To capture the essence of Florida's Emerald Coast, the 500,000-gallon pedestal water tank on Okaloosa Island features a $120,000 mural by artist Eric Henn. The 14-color mural was painted free hand by Henn utilizing an array of blues and greens, even capturing the area's Appalachian quartz sand beaches, according to the coatings specialists at Tnemec. tnemec interviewed Robert Crumbaugh of SteelCon who explains that the mural was essential to the community whose tourism took a hit with the Gulf Coast oil spill in 2010.
Winner of Tnemec's 2012 Tank of the Year, beating out 200 nominees, the project utilizes Tnemec's advanced fluoropolymer topcoats, Series 700 hydroflon which features Lumiflon FEVE resin technology. Lumiflon directly contributes to the coating's ultra-violet protection, a necessity for water tanks, particularly those in coastal communities. The topcoat also features high gloss range and color retention, ensuring the longevity of the extensive mural by Henn.
Tnemec explains,
“Exterior steel was prepared in accordance with SSPC-SP 2 Hand Tool Cleaning and SPC-SP3 Power Tool Cleaning and primed with Series 135 Chembuild, a modified polyamidoamine epoxy for marginally prepared steel and tightly adhering old coatings. Series 73 Endura-Shield, an aliphatic acrylic polyurethane, was the intermediate coat, followed by a finish coat of Series 700 HydroFlon, an advanced fluoropolymer that offers outstanding resistance to ultraviolet (UV) light for unprecedented long-term gloss and color retention. The project did not require replacement of the existing Tnemec coating system on the tank's interior, which was in sound condition.”
Utilizing 150 gallons of Tnemec's exterior coating system, the project was a joint venture between the Okaloosa County Tourist Development Commission (TDT) and the Okaloosa county Water & Sewer System. The project is often praised for its color retention and the mural's ability to capture the community's interests. Okaloosa Daily News interviewed Jeff Littrell, Okaloosa County's Water and Sewer Director who states, “I think, personally, it's the best water tank I've ever seen…We're pretty proud of it.”
American Suncraft Construction Company applied the exterior base coating with engineering services provided by Polyengineering Inc of Florida, which were both specified for other Emerald Coast projects.