By Lori Leath Smith
Some positive news for an unprecedented year—Destin Water Users, Inc. (DWU) has won 2020’s Tank of the Year! Sponsored by Tnemec Company Inc., roughly 300 water tanks were nominated for this year’s contest, and more than 20,000 votes were cast online for 12 finalists from throughout the U. S. and Canada. The 750,000-gallon water tank, Tower 5 and DWU’s newest, was completed in the spring and towers 169 ft. over Calhoun Ave. in Destin.
The beautiful outer appearance of the tank is due to the combined efforts of American Suncraft and renowned mural artist Eric Henn who began this past February painting the unique local sea life depiction on the vast canvas of Tower 5. It’s seemingly the most elaborate underwater scene ever painted on a water tower and portrays our beloved wildlife that call the Gulf of Mexico their home, most notable the local sea turtles and dolphins. Specifically, the stunning mural consists of a sea turtle, dolphin, various species of fish, scenes from the ocean floor and a coral reef. “From the beginning, we knew our water tank mural would need to be pretty spectacular to compete with the other nearby tanks in the area and nationwide. And, after a lot of planning and a lot of Tnemec coatings, the end result is nothing short of a water tank masterpiece, says DWU general manager Lockwood Wernet. “Since the Tower is located in the heart of Old Destin, we wanted to paint something that paid tribute to the heritage of our community.”
The contest began in 2006 and is sponsored by Tnemec Company, Inc., which specializes in protecting surfaces and structures from corrosion with high-performance coatings and linings. Each year, Tnemec Company Inc. hosts its Tank of the Year competition, which attracts hundreds of creative water tank entries from throughout the country. Tanks are designed and painted and then Tnemec’s fluoropolymer finish, HydroFlon, helps ensure that the breath-taking design retains its color and shine for as long as possible. The company’s goal is to recognize the most impressive coatings projects in the water tank industry. Tanks are selected by the group based on criteria such as artistic value, significance of the tank to the community and challenges encountered during the project.
Last year’s competition winner was an actual yellow brick road OZ attraction and the local restaurant, Toto’s Tacoz, in the town of Wamego, Kan. whose lively design paired with its brilliant use of color brought it to the winner’s circle. Tower 5 is not the first DWU winner—the tank on Destin’s Palm Boulevard won 2017 Tank of the Year.
Based in Dayton, Ohio, Eric travels throughout the nation painting memorable murals on water and chemical storage tanks. When most artists work in a studio or home, Eric has taken his unique talent to lofty heights! With no formal training, he began painting murals at age 19 and has now painted large-scale murals throughout the world for more than 30 years! His artwork is seen by millions, most often when they are behind a steering wheel. He is a master at transforming eye-sore structures into life-like works of art.
He creates his own patterns and uses various techniques with brushes and paint rollers in order to achieve a cohesive blending of colors. Millions of gallons of paint, hundreds of thousands of brushes and a multitude of colors are a normal item list to complete each project. You can view some of his other projects at erichennmurals.com.
Destin’s Calhoun Ave. water tank is one of four potable water tanks managed by Destin Water Users, Inc. Together the tanks have the capability to handle all peak hour and fire flow demands in our community. To learn more about DWU, visit dwuinc.com.
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