Sherwin-Williams Names 2026 Water Infrastructure Impact Award Winners
Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine has named two water storage tank rehabilitation projects as winners of its 2026 Impact Award program.
The company recognized the projects during WEFTEC 2026 in New Orleans. The awards honor contractors, specifiers and asset owners involved in North American water and wastewater infrastructure projects using high-performance coating and lining technologies.
The 2026 Water Impact Award went to the team restoring a 2.2-million-gallon potable water storage tank operated by the Aquarion Water Authority and serving the Stamford, Connecticut, market. The project team included Aquarion, coating applicator R.J. Forbes Painting and engineering and construction firm CDM Smith.
The tank’s exterior had been affected by mold and mildew growth. Applicators blasted the surface and installed a system using a zinc primer, epoxy intermediate coating and Sher-Loxane 800 polysiloxane topcoat. The topcoat was selected in part for its cleanability, allowing biological growth to be removed using a low-pressure wash.
The tank interior was also restored using separate lining systems for immersed surfaces and the ceiling’s numerous angles and edges.
The 2026 Wastewater Impact Award, covering non-potable water infrastructure, recognized a rehabilitation project at Arizona State University’s West Valley campus in Glendale, Arizona. The underground concrete reservoir measures approximately 250 feet long, 50 feet wide and 40 feet high and feeds chilled water to the campus air-conditioning system.
The existing lining had developed hundreds of blisters and was peeling from the concrete. After testing found relative humidity of 98% to 100% in the floor, the project team developed a separate moisture-mitigation system for that area.
Applicators used Poly-Crete MDB urethane cement as a moisture barrier, followed by an aggregate broadcast and Dura-Plate 6100 lining. The walls and ceiling received a different system after surface preparation and spot resurfacing. The team also prepared multiple test sections before completing the full application and used high-voltage holiday detection during inspection
The ASU project team included Professional Piping Systems, Industrial Inspection Group and Chasse Building Team.
The projects give readers following protective coatings practical examples of how coating selection, surface preparation, moisture control and inspection can affect the rehabilitation of water infrastructure.
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