Sherwin-Williams Announces 2023 Water and Wastewater Impact Award Winners

Sherwin-Williams announced top honors in the 2023 Sherwin-Williams Impact Award program: an ambitious $124 million renovation and expansion of a large-scale water reclamation facility in Fargo, North Dakota, that involved continuous collaboration between applicators and engineers. The Impact Awards recognize exceptional projects that feature high-performance coating and lining materials from Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine.

The winning project featured the multi-year expansion of the Fargo Regional Water Reclamation Facility’s capacity to more than 100 million gallons a day, showcasing the critical importance of meticulous planning, teamwork and advanced coating technologies to improve operational efficiency and asset integrity while maintaining operations. Fargo’s Regional Water Reclamation Facility is owned and operated by the city, while PKG Contracting Inc. led the overall project, with Protech Contracting Services Inc. serving as the applicator.

The runner-up project for the 2023 awards went to a challenging refurbishment of six aging basins at the Ralph Brennan Water Treatment Plant in Daytona Beach, Florida. Carried out by applicator Exceletech Coating and Applications LLC and general contractor PC Construction, the project involved complex methods to remove obsolete coatings, advanced techniques for concrete repair and high-performance coatings to improve structural durability without interrupting service to the city’s 70,000 residents.

“We take great pride in presenting these outstanding examples of how our coating technologies – rooted in modern and efficient methods focused on sustainability – can help make clean water more accessible and improve how wastewater is processed,” said Paul Trautmann, Marketing Director for Water and Wastewater at Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine. “We use the Sherwin-Williams Impact Awards to celebrate the incredible work and dedication of project teams across the country whose creativity and hard work ensure vital infrastructure stands the test of time.”

The Sherwin-Williams Impact Awards celebrate contractors, specifiers and asset owners for outstanding performance on water and wastewater projects across North America. The honors recognize projects that significantly influence the industry by protecting assets, improving their life cycles and enhancing safety. Eligible submissions included any water-related structures that were new, renovated or rehabilitated in 2023, utilizing coating and lining materials from Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine.

FIRST PLACE: Meeting the Coatings Challenge – Fargo’s Wastewater Plant Transformation

In Fargo, North Dakota, the city’s water reclamation facility underwent a significant overhaul, expanding its ability to process more than 100 million gallons per day. This three-year $124 million project not only upgraded existing structures but also integrated new facilities, demonstrating a major investment in the growing city’s infrastructure and reinforcing its commitment to environmental sustainability. These efforts earned the project team top honors in the 2023 Sherwin-Williams Impact Award program from Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine.

The three-year project for the Fargo Regional Water Reclamation Facility called for substantial structural work, including a significant amount of structural concrete for new and existing facilities such as a large-scale Integrated Fixed-Film Activated Sludge (IFAS) building and others. The project also featured many large-scale excavations, extensive piping to support an expanded headworks facility and the installation of non-slip resinous flooring for safety.

While the coating portions of the project were originally specified for a competitor’s products, Protech Contracting Services Inc. – subcontractor and applicator – transitioned to coatings from Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine for their compatibility and ready availability – crucial for adhering to project timelines and minimizing disruptions. The complex coating sequence, influenced by project scheduling and available spaces, required close collaboration with the general contractor. Challenges included coordinating multiple trades, adhering to tight schedules, adapting to shifting priorities and weather, and applying coatings without disrupting plant operations.

The project involved coating diverse surfaces, including concrete structures, piping, equipment, walls and floors. Application techniques varied between spraying and hand-rolling, depending on the surface and complexity, with high-pressure airless sprayers used for larger areas and hand-rolling for complex piping systems and confined spaces. To enhance non-slip properties on floors, the project team used broadcasting and back-rolling techniques, incorporating sand in both the mid-coat and topcoat. This approach ensured the coatings provided a robust, safe surface suitable for harsh environments, easy cleaning and chemical resistance.

In the new IFAS facility, Protech’s applicators coated the top 7 feet of the aerobic tanks – which are exposed to gases – with Dura-Plate® 2300 as a mortar base and Dura-Plate® 6000 as a topcoat. This dual-layer approach ensured robust protection against chemical exposure. Applicators also treated the return activated sludge splitter box and IFAS splitter box with Dura-Plate 6000 over a Dura-Plate 2300 base, providing significant protection from environmental factors.

The crew applied Dura-Plate 2300 using a mortar sprayer and manually leveled the material for a smooth finish. Subsequently, they sprayed Dura-Plate 6000 using a high-pressure sprayer, providing a strong protective layer. For smaller structures like manholes and areas unsuitable for spraying, crewmembers applied coatings manually, reducing the need for containment and cleanup.

In addition, applicators coated the wet well in the implant waste pump station, along with the valve vault and several manholes, with Dura-Plate 6000, chosen for its ability to withstand harsh conditions.

For concrete exposed to hydrogen sulfide gases and chemicals, Protech used a multi-layer coating system, comprised of a primer, Sher-Glass® FF – a glass flake reinforced epoxy – as a mid-coat, and a urethane topcoat for visible areas. For general piping not exposed to gases, the contractor used Macropoxy® 646 epoxy, finished with a urethane topcoat – ensuring comprehensive protection against corrosion and chemical exposure. Prior to the application, Protech blasted new and existing concrete surfaces to create a suitable profile, ensuring proper adhesion of the coatings.

For topcoats of external surfaces exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light – including on some motors and outdoor equipment – the project team chose Hi-Solids Polyurethane 250 based on the product’s enhanced durability. Designed for high-performance protection with outstanding exterior gloss and color retention, this coating serves as a heavy-duty maintenance layer for high-visibility areas.

For various metal and fiberglass surfaces – such as tanks and ducting – applicators utilized Corothane® Mio-Zinc Primer to prevent corrosion, Macropoxy 646 as the primary protective layer and Acrolon™ Ultra as a topcoat for UV and environmental protection, as well as an aesthetic enhancement, especially on exterior surfaces.

Protech also applied anti-graffiti coatings to areas accessible to the public to prevent vandalism, including exterior surfaces of final clarifiers.

Throughout the project, Sherwin-Williams provided technical support to Protech to ensure correct application of products, including on-site assistance and guidance on product specifications and application techniques.

Completed in late spring 2024, the project is notable for featuring effective coordination, optimal product selection and skilled application techniques. By enhancing the plant’s capacity and operational resilience, the city of Fargo has taken a significant step toward securing its environmental and public health future. It has also set a new benchmark for future infrastructure projects in the region.

RUNNER-UP: Safeguarding the Water Supply – Decades-Old Basins Get New Life in Daytona Beach

Serving around 70,000 residents, the Ralph Brennan Water Treatment Plant in Daytona Beach, Florida, recently underwent an extensive $6.6 million refurbishment that revitalized six aging basins while replacing an obsolete Leopold filter underdrain system. This project required cutting-edge methods to strip away decades-old coatings, repair and resurface concrete, and apply advanced high-performance linings. The project team’s careful planning, execution and attention to detail earned the parties runner-up status in the 2023 Sherwin-Williams Impact Award program from Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine.

The upgrades were accomplished without disrupting the treatment plant’s operations, ensuring a continuous supply of safe and reliable water. The project not only restored the plant’s critical systems but also significantly bolstered its capacity to serve the local community for many years to come.

Executed by Exceletech Coating and Applications LLC – a Central Florida-based applicator of industrial and commercial coatings and high-performance linings – along with general contractor PC Construction, the 18-month project required a detailed and methodical approach to surface preparation. Three of the basins featured coatings from the late 1970s to early 1980s, while the others were coated in the early 2000s, presenting distinct challenges due to the varying thickness and deterioration of the existing coatings and surfaces.

The three older basins, coated with a thick epoxy system of up to 125 mils, demanded rigorous removal efforts. The project team employed a combination of saw-cutting keyway lines plus pneumatic chipping and scraping to strip the coatings down to the bare concrete. Following this, crew members used a 5,000-psi pressure wash and an abrasive blast with coal slag to create a suitable surface profile for new coatings, ensuring optimal adhesion.

In contrast, the three newer basins with thinner 20- to 30-mil coatings, required only abrasive blasting to remove the existing layers. Subsequent surface grinding leveled high areas, with deeper patching performed where rebar was exposed. Applicators meticulously applied a cementitious resurfacing material, Dura Plate 2300, by hand to an average thickness of 3/16 inch, providing a robust foundation for the final coatings.

Next, Exceletech applied Macropoxy® 5500 in multiple coats, reaching a final thickness of approximately 20 mils. The application process involved careful brush and roll techniques to ensure comprehensive coverage and long-term durability. For the concrete surfaces, which were prone to moisture issues, applicators used a catalyzed water-based epoxy, Pro Industrial, which was chosen for its moisture resistance and breathability. Crew members applied this coating using an airless spray and back-rolling technique to achieve a uniform finish.

Beyond surface preparation and coating, the project included significant mechanical and structural enhancements. In the pipe gallery, extensive corrosion was addressed using a 5,000-psi rotator tip pressure wash and electric bristle blasters for detailed work. Applicators spot-primed corroded areas with Macropoxy® 920, followed by two coats of Macropoxy 646 and a final layer of Acrolon™ 218. To prevent future corrosion, all mounting hardware was replaced with stainless steel.

To maintain uninterrupted operation of the plant, the project team carefully staged the refurbishment, allowing only one basin to be taken offline at a time. Exceletech constructed full enclosures around each affected basin to prevent contamination of the operational filters. Daily inspections ensured the integrity and cleanliness of these enclosures.

The project required over 45 individual shutdowns, necessitating precise coordination with the general contractor, PC Construction. Exceletech also worked closely with plant operators to understand their operational needs, facilitating swift and efficient shutdowns that minimized any impact on the plant’s capacity.

Completed in September 2023, the upgrades were essential to meeting the plant’s permitted capacity of 24 million gallons per day, extending the useful life of the facilities and securing the water supply for Daytona Beach’s residents.