A 120-foot-tall standpipe on the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe’s reservation near Auburn is a runner-up in the 2012 Tnemec Tank of the Year competition.
“Judges for the competition were impressed by the tank’s artwork depicting salmon, which have played an important role in the culture of the Muckleshoot people for centuries,” said Doug Hansen, director, Tnemec Water Tank Market. “The colorful mural is an appropriate reminder of the tribe’s efforts to preserve ancient salmon runs and other natural resources in their traditional fishing and hunting grounds.”
Artwork on the steel reservoir was commissioned by Muckleshoot Public Works 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 brothers also painted the landscape mural on a ground storage tank in Puyallup, which was another runner-up in this year’s Tnemec Tank of the Year competition.
Tnemec coating systems were used more than 18 years ago on the interior and exterior of the Muckleshoot Steel Reservoir, said Scott McConnell of TNW, Inc.
“The tank is located adjacent to the tribe’s ceremonial grounds that are used for large gatherings, which is why the exterior needed repainting,” McConnell said.
Exterior steel was recoated by J&L Company Northeast, Inc., using a white base-coat of Series 27 F.C. Typoxy polyamide epoxy. Series 750 UVX advanced technology polyurethane was used for the mural graphics, which required nine different colors including Cadet Blue, Issac Blue, Artic Rain and Bahaman.
The tank still has its original interior coating, Tnemec Series 20 Pota-Pox, which has been the industry standard for potable water epoxy coatings for nearly 30 years, McConnell acknowledged.
“The original interior coating system was still in good condition after 18 years,” McConnell added.
The Muckleshoot water tank will be featured in Tnemec’s 2013 Tank of the Year calendar, along with other runners-up and the winning entry, a 500,000-gallon elevated pedestal water tank on Okaloosa Island, Florida. The multi-color mural on the winning water tank depicts the snow-white sand and aqua-marine water along the 24-mile stretch of beach known as Florida’s Emerald Coast.
The Muckleshoot design was chosen as a runner-up from more than 200 Tank of the Year nominations, which are the most entries to be received since the competition was initiated in 2006.
Other runners-up listed alphabetically are:
• A one-million-gallon legged tank in Panama City, Fla., featuring an elaborate mural design of boats, pelicans and beach scenes.
• A 150,000-gallon legged tank in St. Robert, Mo., featuring an American flag design and a patriotic message.
• A 2.9-million-gallon ground storage tank in Puyallup, with its landscape mural of Douglas firs and other local tree species of the Pacific Northwest.
“Each of these projects is unique for their memorable graphic designs, which made a lasting impression on our Tank of the Year judges and on their communities,” Hansen added.
With a population of more than 3,000 members, the Muckleshoot Tribe lives on, or near, a 3,860-acre reservation. Tribal members are dedicated to preserving natural resources such as endangered salmon runs.
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