Collaborative Water Tower Design Achieves Precision Color Matching and Lasting Protection

The Challenge: Revitalizing a Water Tower with Long-Term Protection and Visual Appeal

In the skies overhead, 4-foot-tall insects and 14-foot-long birds flit and flutter over a serene meadow filled with milk thistle, lazy Susans and meadow violets. Towering over the landscape, the picturesque scene suspended in the sky welcomes and delights residents and passersby of the Four Seasons at Sea Oaks 55+ community in Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey (Figure 1).

The idyllic 360-degree water tower mural – conceived by the Executive Director, Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent of the Little Egg Harbor Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA) – was a welcoming surprise to the community. The team kept the design a secret until the last possible moment when applicators removed protective containment tarps, revealing the beginnings of the tranquil setting.

The project team’s attention to detail led to a group effort in precision color matching among the MUA, the mural painters, coatings applicator United Painters Inc., engineering firm Remington & Vernick Engineers and coatings supplier Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine. That effort paid off in the highly accurate, vibrant canary-yellow plumage of the American Goldfinches – not to mention the true-to-life violets, purples, oranges and blues of the other flora and fauna – that adorn the tower. This coordinated exercise and the tower’s decorative design helped the project earn top honors as the 2025 Sherwin-Williams Water Impact Award winner.

The Solution: A Beautiful Surprise Water Tower Design 

More out of necessity but conveniently aligned with the MUA’s desire for secrecy on the design, the water tower was shrouded in containment tarps for much of its rehabilitation (Figure 2). With the tower nestled between Frog Pond Rd. and the Sea Oaks community’s Golf View Dr., the coverings were needed to prevent dust and debris from surface preparation activities and overspray from coating applications from drifting onto nearby homes and vehicle traffic.

During the first several weeks of the restoration, locals were none the wiser that the original plain, sky blue tower with navy blue “Little Egg Harbor MUA” lettering would soon transform into a meadow landscape teeming with plants and wildlife.

Even when the tarps came down, the ultimate design was still a bit of a mystery. The familiar sky blue had been restored on the top of the pedesphere elevated storage tank, but the tower’s cylindrical support pedestal and flared conical base were now a grass green color. The stark landscape hinted at more to come.

As mural artist Peter Goetzinger and his son Orion began to draw freehand outlines of birds, insects and plant life, a larger-than-life, paint-by-numbers canvas slowly revealed the forthcoming picturesque scene (Figures 3 and 4).

“We wanted to literally keep the colorful design under wraps until the last moment,” said Earl Sutton, Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer of Little Egg Harbor MUA. “The anticipation was palpable, as the local community was familiar with other recent intricate water tower designs we had completed. When the scene began to take shape and the first bird went up, excitement started flying over social media.”

The final, colorful design features seven vibrant male American Goldfinches, complete with their black caps, orange beaks and legs, black-and-white wings and bold yellow bodies. The birds, which are New Jersey’s State bird, appear in flight and perched on black-eyed Susan and milk thistle plants. In addition, multiple monarch butterflies – featuring their iconic orange, black, and white coloring – blue and white Spring/Atlantic Azure butterflies, and “Dynamic-Blue” dragonflies dance in the mural’s sky. Varied shades of green grasses and purple violets, the state’s flower, complete the scene (Figures 5 and 6).

The Approach: Precision Color Matching and Artwork Placement 

Aside from keeping the design secret, the MUA’s top priority was to ensure the colors used on the tower’s wildlife were as accurate as possible. Any significant variation from real life could have made the mural look cartoonish. And with the tower located next to a 55+ community that’s likely filled with discerning birders, the pressure was on to especially get the Goldfinches’ yellow color just right.

This attention to detail kicked of a concerted effort among the design team, painters, engineers and Sherwin-Willliams. The local coatings store mixed multiple samples for the birds, insects and flowers, preparing sample panels for review and making minute adjustments when hues weren’t quite right.

With twenty-one (21) customized colors gracing the tank, each match was critical, with the Goldfinch yellow being the most difficult to get right.

“After we decided on the design and wildlife to include, we printed a lot of photos to compare during the color matching process,” said Michael DiFrancia, Superintendent and License Operator with Little Egg Harbor MUA. “We wanted everything to be as vibrant and realistic as possible. That led to multiple tries on the yellow coloring to the point we were joking that the only way to get it right was to bring in a bird.”

Placement of the wildlife was also a key consideration. The artists and MUA team took care to view the structure from afar multiple times to ensure the dramatic mural scenery would be visible from key vantage points. For example, the Four Seasons at Sea Oaks community’s clubhouse – which rests atop the highest nearby point and has views of Long Beach Island and Atlantic City – served as a central marker.

“We wanted the clubhouse, golf course and every house to have a good view of the inspiring artwork,” said John Mulvihill, Deputy Superintendent with Little Egg Harbor MUA. “In getting those placements just right, we even decided to repaint a small section to shift one of the birds over to align properly with sightlines.”

Exterior Recoating: Building the Protective Water Tower Coating System Layer by Layer

Prior to the restoration, the 500,000-gallon Sea Oaks water tower was looking a little worse for the wear. About twenty-three (23) years had passed since its last exterior recoating, leaving the “blue-ice” colored tower faded and rust-worn. Transforming the tower to its new landmark status required removing the deteriorated coatings and then building the new colorful canvas one layer at a time.

Following erection of the containment structure and shrouding the tower in tarps, applicators from United Painters blasted the interior and exterior of the tank to an SSPC-SP 10 Near-White Metal Blast Cleaning level to remove all the old coatings. They then coated the interior of the tank before addressing the exterior.

For the exterior, applicators first applied the single-component, moisture-curing urethane zinc rich primer Corothane® I GalvaPac 1K from Sherwin-Williams. This base layer encourages adhesion of subsequent layers, while delivering the needed corrosion- and chemical-resistance for structures located in coastal areas like Little Egg Harbor where salty air threatens the longevity of coatings.

Before spraying the entire tank with an intermediate coat of Macropoxy® 646, applicators stripe-coated weld seams across the structure, spraying and then backrolling the epoxy coating to work it into every nook of the seams. The coating’s high-solids content ensures adequate protection of sharp edges, corners and welds. The full Macropoxy 646 coat also delivers corrosion protection in coastal environments.

For the tank’s topcoat and nature-themed artwork, United Painters and the artists applied Acrolon™ Ultra. The high-performance acrylic polyurethane is designed to provide long-term ultraviolet protection for high visibility structures like the Sea Oaks tower. The glossy coating provides excellent resistance to corrosion and weathering for long-term color retention.

“Using the glossy topcoat really helped the colorful mural pop,” said Trace Dittenhofer, Water/Wastewater Services Team Lead for Remington & Vernick Engineers, which managed the project and finalized the tank’s coatings specifications. “Little Egg Harbor MUA was also very keen on maximizing the lifespan of its infrastructure, which this coating system supports. The material’s durability and longevity will help the MUA save on future maintenance costs, including fewer cleanings and touchups over the life of the mural.”

Tank Rehabilitation: Coordinating Water Tower Maintenance Inside and Out 

Restoring the inside of the tank was naturally less exciting – but no less important – than painting the exterior. Applicators applied a thick epoxy lining system to ensure a safe, clean water supply for local businesses and residents.

Following some minor repair and upgrade work performed inside the tank, applicators used the same Corothane Galvapac 1K primer as the exterior and then applied a stripe coat of Sherplate™ 600 to all weld seams to ensure complete coverage on all surfaces. They finished off the lining system with a full topcoat of the high-build and edge-retentive Sherplate™ PW lining sprayed at 20-30 mils dry film thickness (DFT). The thick application will ensure a long service life for the lining.

Both high-solids coatings feature low volatile organic compounds (VOCs) content and have NSF/ANSI/CAN 600 certification for potable water tanks. In fact, Sherplate PW is a 100% solids coating that Little Egg Harbor has used for its last few tank relinings to promote longer service lives and reduced maintenance needs.

That service life was an important factor when selecting the exterior coating system, as Little Egg Harbor MUA wanted to align maintenance cycles for the interior and exterior of the tower.

“We will always try to do tanks in sequence by coating the inside and outside at the same time,” said Sutton. “Using the Acrolon Ultra finish coat for the exterior matched up with the longevity of the interior lining, allowing us to plan for maintenance activities on the same 15- to 20-year schedule or longer. This makes fiscal sense for our budget and will also minimize disruptions to the surrounding community.”

The Results: A Vibrant Landmark that Sets the Standard for Future Water Tower Designs

The picturesque Sea Oaks water tower isn’t the first uniquely designed tank Little Egg Harbor MUA has managed in recent history. Beginning in 2019, the Authority began adorning a variety of refurbished tanks with attractive designs, including another nature-themed tank and one with a beach-inspired design fitting of the coastal community. The MUA’s nature-inspired Holly Lake Harbor standpipe features tall evergreen trees and a light blue sky that blend into the surrounding landscape. Its Mystic Islands standpipe displays a beachy design and a fitting slogan welcoming visitors to “The Gateway to Great Bay.” A third tower located on Mathistown Road about a mile from the Pinelands Regional High School features the school district’s Wildcat Pride slogan and mascot. Each tank also features coatings from Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine (Figure 7).

“We take a lot of pride in our newly refreshed water towers and look forward to upping our game for each one that’s feasible,” said Sutton. “And we may have even started a trend, as a nearby coastal town recently decorated one of its water towers as a beach ball. We’ve also received calls from residents of other communities to pressure their boards. So, I guess the word is out.”

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Jim Criss is Water Infrastructure Asset Protection Manager for Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine, serving Southern New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania and Northern Delaware. With more than 28 years’ experience in the protective coatings industry, he has a sole focus on the water and wastewater market, specializing in the water treatment, water storage, sewer collection, and wastewater segments of the industry. Contact: Jim.Criss@sherwin.com

Mark Milano is an Industrial Sales Representative for Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine. Contact: Mark.Milano@sherwin.com

Figure 1. The newly refurbished Sea Oaks water tower serving Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey, features a serene meadow landscape filled with birds, insects and plants. Photo: Courtesy of Paul Britt, New Jersey Water Association

Figure 2. A protective containment structure was set up around the tower to protect surrounding areas from restoration activities, with the added benefit of keeping the secret design under wraps. Photo: Courtesy of Little Egg Harbor MUA

Figure 3. Mural artist Peter Goetzinger and his son Orion first drew freehand outlines of birds, insects and plant life, creating a larger-than-life, paint-by-numbers canvas. Photo: Courtesy of Paul Britt, New Jersey Water Association

Figure 4. As the Goetzingers continued hand-painting, the colorful birds began to come to life. Photo: Courtesy of Little Egg Harbor MUA

Figure 5. Carefully selected hues of Acrolon Ultra from Sherwin-Williams provided true-to-life representations of American Goldfinches, monarch butterflies and other flora and fauna. Photo: Courtesy of Paul Britt, New Jersey Water Association

Figure 6. The glossy coating will ensure the color on the birds, insects and plant life remain vibrant over the life of the tower’s coating system. Photo: Courtesy of Paul Britt, New Jersey Water Association

Figure 7. Additional water tanks Little Egg Harbor MUA restored recently using coatings from Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine feature unique designs, including (top to bottom): the nature-inspired Holly Lake Harbor standpipe; the beachy Mystic Islands standpipe; and the Pinelands Regional School District’s Wildcat Pride tower. Photos: Courtesy of Paul Britt, New Jersey Water Association