KANSAS CITY, MO – The municipal water tank in Gaffney, South Carolina, was voted the "People's Choice" during the 2017 Tank of the Year competition sponsored by Tnemec Co. Inc., a leading provider of high-performance coatings. The one-million-gallon elevated water tank resembling a peach will also be considered for the Tank of the Year crown and appear with other top finalists in Tnemec's annual water tank calendar.

"The Peach in Gaffney is one of the most famous water tanks in the United States," explained Doug Hansen, Director – Water Tank Market for Tnemec. "The 'Peachoid' has been featured in the Netflix series House of Cards and in numerous websites and magazines, including one in France. Resembling a ripe peach, the tank was commissioned by the Gaffney Board of Public Works in 1981 and recoated with an advanced fluoropolymer coating system from Tnemec in May 2017."

When the tank was refinished in 2017, applicators used high-performance coatings from Tnemec, including the fluoropolymer finish, Series 700 HydroFlon, for unsurpassed color and gloss retention. The finish was used to recoat the exterior of the 135-foot-high water tower to achieve a deeper, riper peach color that more closely resembled the original color scheme painted by artist Peter Freudenberg.

The People's Choice water tank received the most votes from a field of nearly 300 water tanks nominated for the competition. The top-voted tank will now be considered alongside 11 other committee-determined water tanks for the official Tank of the Year. A panel of water tank enthusiasts will select the overall Tank of the Year winner based on criteria such as artistic value, significance of the tank to the community and challenges encountered during the project.

"This is the 12^th anniversary of the competition, which recognizes municipalities for their aesthetic, creative and innovative uses of exterior coatings on water storage tank projects," Hansen added. "This year's nominations represent several different types of water tanks including legged designs, composite constructions, a ground storage tank, and pedestal style in various shapes and sizes."

The finalists and the official 2017 Tank of the Year will be announced on Friday, Oct. 27. All 12 tanks will be featured in Tnemec's forthcoming 2018 water tank calendar.