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'We're pretty proud': Maxville water tower in running for 'tank of the year'

It's worth $30 million, is clad in a stylish tartan, and might just be the best of its kind in North America.

The water tower that hovers over the community of Maxville, Ont., is in the running for the prestigious title of "tank of the year."

Erected late last year, the tower boasts an original tartan pattern that represents the Celtic roots of many local residents.

It currently sits in the top five in the annual "tank of the year" contest put on by Tnemec, a company that makes exterior coatings for water towers.

"We're pretty proud of the water tower, that's for sure," said Jamie MacDonald, the mayor of North Glengarry, which includes the small eastern Ontario town.

Trevor Pritchard/CBC
Trevor Pritchard/CBC

Design honours highland games

The competition — which celebrates structures with unique designs or paint jobs — has taken place since 2006.

Maxville's structure, the only Canadian tower to make the final round, is emblazoned with the tartan of Glengarry, a unique hand-painted design created in honour of the local Glengarry Highland Games.

Every year, tens of thousands of people flock to the region for the games. It's a tradition that's gone on for over 70 years, and includes events such as fiddling, bagpiping, highland dancing and caber tossing.

And while the tower might be quite a sight from the highway, it also serves a practical purpose: it was built as part of a massive project to bring drinking water into the community.

"We've been trying to get water to Maxville for probably 50 years," MacDonald told CBC Radio's All In A Day last week. "We're excited to turn on the taps."

Water is now piped from the nearby municipality of Alexandria, Ont., to the Maxville water tower, which is then supplied to local businesses and homes.

The project cost $30 million, half of which was paid by the federal government. The provincial and municipal governments split the other half.

"The icing on the cake was being able to put the tartan on there," said MacDonald. "Again, we're pretty proud of it."

Voting underway

The top 12 tanks are featured in an annual calendar created by Tnemec, with the contest winner then gets additional bragging rights.

Voting for the people's choice award runs until Oct. 18, and ballots can be cast online on the contest website.

The winner of the people's choice award will be announced on Oct. 21, and the tank of the year winner — decided upon by a panel of water tank enthusiasts — will be declared Oct. 25.