Okaloosa Island’s main water tank, covered with a shimmering blue-green mural depicting the Emerald Coast, has been named Tnemec 2012 Tank of the Year.
Tnemec, a leading industrial coating company, sponsors an annual competition among water tanks with memorable graphic designs.
“I think, personally, it’s the best water tank I’ve ever seen,” said Jeff Littrell, Okaloosa County’s water and sewer director. “We’re pretty proud of it.”
The 500,000-gallon pedestal tank beat out four other finalists — tanks from Panama City; Auburn, Wash.; Puyallup, Wash.; and St. Robert, Mo.
The Okaloosa Island tank is featured in Tnemec’s 2013 calendar.
“When you open the calendar, we’re the one for January,” Littrell said.
The mural was painted last year by Ohio-based artist Eric Henn, who received engineering assistance from Polyengineering of Shalimar. He used one of Tnemec’s advanced fluoropolymer topcoats called Series 700 HydroFlon, which has a high resistance to ultraviolet light and long-term gloss and color retention.
The Tourist Development Council paid for the $120,000 mural with bed tax revenue.
The mural required 14 colors, including multiple shades of blue and green. Henn painted it freehand with brushes and rollers.
“We were told it was going to be photo realistic,” Littrell said. “It really does. It exceeded my expectations.”
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari C. Barlow at 850-315-4438 or kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.