Entry submissions are now open for the annual Sherwin-Williams Impact Award, which honors outstanding water and wastewater projects completed in North America. Presented by the Protective & Marine Coatings division of Sherwin-Williams, the award recognizes application contractors, specifiers and owners for their dedication to protecting water and wastewater infrastructure assets.

The 2021 Sherwin-Williams Impact Award-winning projects will be presented virtually in November. Generating broad industry exposure for the winning teams, the announcement will appear on LinkedIn and in various Sherwin-Williams communications, including the company’s website, an enewsletter and a press release to be shared with industry trade publications.

Any new, restored and/or rehabilitated water-related structure that used Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine coatings from Jan. 1, 2020, through May 31, 2021, is eligible for the award. Such projects include water treatment, water storage, water transmission, sewer collection and wastewater treatment structures, and are not limited to highly visible structures.

“Clean water flowing from our taps doesn’t happen by accident. Neither does safely returning wastewater to treatment plants for processing. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to establish and maintain the necessary infrastructure for these critical utility needs,” said Murray Heywood, North America Market Manager, Water & Wastewater, Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine. “That’s why we get excited about highlighting outstanding projects each year that are helping to ensure fresh water access and environmentally safe wastewater removal. The Sherwin-Williams Impact Award demonstrates how these projects – and the contractors, specifiers and asset owners responsible for them – contribute to enhancing public safety and extending infrastructure life.”

Applications for the award will be accepted June 24 through Sept. 24, 2021. The application form and entry details can be found on the Sherwin-Williams website at https://industrial.sherwin-williams.com/na/us/en/protective-marine/media-center/news/impact-awards.html.

An independent panel of respected water industry experts will determine winners. Judges will rate entries on the difficulty of the submitted project; challenges overcome by the participants; solutions provided to the owner; how satisfied the parties were with the outcome; and the overall uniqueness of the project.

The 2020 Sherwin-Williams Impact Award winners included:

• First Place: Contractors from CDC Restoration & Construction completed a labor-intensive restoration of eight deteriorated membrane bioreactor (MBR) basins for the South Valley Sewer District Jordan Basin Water Reclamation Facility in Bluffdale, Utah. The project involved restoring the concrete basins and applying a durable, fiberglass-reinforced lining system designed to prevent future deterioration. The non-permeable lining system from Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine returned the basins to like-new condition with a durable barrier that is protecting the concrete substrate from wear.
• Runner-Up: Applicators from Champion Coatings installed a flexible polyurethane lining system in five newly installed MBR basins at the Grand Forks Regional Water Treatment Plant for the City of Grand Forks, North Dakota. In addition, Traill Painting Company coated numerous plant assets, including applying a heavy-duty, graphite-filled lining system on a secondary containment vessel, installing resinous flooring throughout the facility, and coating pipes, tanks, walls, doors and other structures.
• Honorable Mention: Applicators from TMI Coatings restored the inside and outside of a 500,000-gallon water tower for Saint Paul Regional Water Services in St. Paul, Minnesota. Inside the tower, applicators installed a zinc/epoxy/epoxy lining system that had recently secured industry approval for potable water storage, making this the first tower to feature the interior lining. The applicators used a zinc/epoxy/polyurethane system with excellent color and gloss retention on the tower’s exterior.