DETROIT LAKES, Minn. (FOX 9) – Numerous Midwest water towers are in contention for the 2026 People’s Choice Tank of the Year contest held annually by Tnemec Company, inc. to celebrate the most innovative and creative water storage tanks in the United States.
Tank of the Year contest
The backstory:
Since 2006, Tnemec has held a contest to give water professionals and communities a way to share the stories behind tanks that have become local landmarks across North America.
“A water tower is often one of the most recognizable landmarks in a community, but behind it is an essential service that helps that community thrive,” said Kevin Morris, Director of Water and Wastewater Sales at Tnemec Company, Inc. “People’s Choice gives communities an opportunity to celebrate their hometown pride and recognize the tanks that have become part of what makes their community home.”
What you can do:
Tnemec invites the public to pick a favorite tank and crown the 2026 Tank of the Year. Voters may submit one vote per active email address.
The tank with the most votes will be named the 2026 People’s Choice winner on Oct. 19. That winner will then join 11 other finalists in consideration for the 2026 Tank of the Year, which a Tnemec committee of water tank enthusiasts plans to announce on Oct. 23.
All finalists and nominees will be featured in Tnemec’s 2027 water tank calendar, with the Tank of the Year winner featured in January.
Water tower in Detroit Lakes, MN (Tnemec)
Minnesota
Local perspective:
Minnesota has a handful of water towers nominated for Tank of the Year. Detroit Lakes leads the way for the state and is currently favored to finish in second place.
The list of the water tanks in contention for Minnesota include:
- Burnsville
- Center City
- Conger
- Detroit Lakes
- Mound
- North Branch
- Prior Lake
- Sauk Rapids
- Stillwater
- St. Paul
Michigan
Local perspective:
Several Michigan water towers are in contention for this year’s contest, with the tank in South Haven currently ranked as the third-best tank in the contest, just behind Detroit Lakes, Minnesota and Staunton, Virginia.
The full list of Michigan water tanks that have been nominated include:
- Bay City
- Benton Charter Township
- Gwinn
- Saginaw
- Saint Clare
- South Haven
Illinois
Local perspective:
While not having a tank currently favored in the top three for the contest, Illinois has a decent number of nominated water towers in this year’s contest. Check out the full list right here:
- Cahokia Heights
- Farmington
- Geneseo
- Geneva
- Ladd
- Maquette Heights
- Mason City
- New Holland
- North Aurora
- Pocahontas
- Roscoe
- Sparland
- Westmont
Wisconsin
Local perspective:
Wisconsin may have the largest number of water towers up for nomination in the entire Midwest, maybe even the country, with 21 total water towers in contention (aside from maybe Iowa that has 26). Here’s the full list of the below:
- Appleton
- Burlington
- Caledonia
- Elkhorn
- Florence
- Green Bay
- Jackson
- Junction City
- Kellnersville
- Lake Geneva
- Little Chute
- Madison
- McFarland
- Monona
- Oconomowoc
- Oconto
- Oneida
- Siren
- Waynakee
- West Baraboo
- Whitehall
Ohio
Local perspective:
Here’s the full list of every water tower nominated in Ohio:
- Akron
- Blanchard
- Columbus
- Mason
- Piqua
- Wooster
Indiana
Local perspective:
Check out the three water tanks nominated for Indiana:
- Brownsburg
- Fort Wayne
- Noblesville
Iowa
Local perspective:
There are 26 total water towers nominated for Iowa, check out the full list of them here:
- Agency
- Altoona
- Ankeny
- Burlington
- Cedar Rapids
- Centerville
- Coggon
- Coulter
- Diagonal
- Donnellson
- Eldridge
- Grinnell
- Hornick
- Iowa City
- Keokuk
- Long Grove
- Mechanicsville
- Minden
- Northwood
- Palmer
- Percival
- Shellsburg
- Urbana
- West Des Moines
- Winterset
- Winthrop
North Dakota
Local perspective:
Only two water towers were nominated for North Dakota:
South Dakota
Local perspective:
Just like its northern neighbor, South Dakota only had two nominations:
The Source: This story uses information from Tnemec’s Tank of the Year website and a press release sent out by Tnemec.