Author: Dustin Dowdy

In the beginning…

In the mid-1980’s in Mississippi, bolted tanks had mainly been used the industrial and fire protection markets. One would be hard pressed to find an Aquastore™ tank anywhere in the state being used for potable water storage. While there were many factors that led to that changing, there is definitely one that impacted our history the most.

During the same time, Greg Gearhart (currently of WGK Inc.) was a young reserve officer with the Army Combat Engineers assigned to an engineering unit in Huntington, West Virginia. Another engineer took Greg to see a project he had designed that included an Aquastore™. Its modular design, expansion capabilities and glass fused to steel coating system made an enough of an impression that Greg made Aquastore™ the basis his design for a new ground storage tank for the Fannin Water Association in 1987 which to date has never been recoated or had any major repairs.

As we celebrate our 40th year in business, we are looking back at how it all began and in this case, how it began in Mississippi. As the authorized Aquastore™ dealer for Mississippi, Southeastern Tank has been fortunate to work with Greg on many projects and others which have led to nearly 100 installations statewide.

And here is the rest of the story…

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Pictured: Holly Springs

Our Commitment

Over the last 40 years, we’ve strived to deliver every project with the same high level of care and customer service. Our goal and commitment to our customers is to find the solution that best fits their needs. Like any construction company, you really want your projects to stand out.

Sometimes, that means making the project blend in.

For Daphne Utilities, the challenge was to put a million-gallon tank where no one wanted to see it. The available property was located in an established neighborhood and Danny Lyndall, then Assistant General Manager (now General Manager), was well aware of this fact. Lyndall understood that public relations is as important for a utility as providing clean water.

Through much discussion, the decision to design a 1 million gallon, expandable Aquastore™ tank as part of a Total Dynamic Storage system that avoided the use on an elevated tank. This tank can be expanded up to 1.5 million gallons without having to change the footprint simply by adding rings to the tank. Not only does an Aquastore ™ and Total Dynamic Storage system cost less than an elevated tank of similar, the glass fused to steel tank has one of the lowest life time maintenance schedules on the market. And just to make that much more appealing, the color of the tank was green.

The Total Dynamic Storage system utilizes variable speed drive pumps to provide optimum pressure with a ground storage tank. This optimizes water storage and flow, improves water quality with its quick tank turnover capabilities, and provides a low-maintenance solution without creating an unmanageable pressure zone that comes with an elevated tank.

Pictured: Daphne Utilities Total Dynamic Storage system

At Southeastern Tank, every job is important. Every customer is important, from the consultants, the utilities and ultimately, to the customers that it serves. It’s why we’ve got to enjoy 40 years in business.

If you’d like to learn more about how we got to where we are today, keep reading.

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In the beginning…

The year is 1987 and Georgia Rural Water is hosting its very first conference on Jekyll Island. Among the original six exhibitors was our founder and my father, Chuck Dowdy. Since that original exhibit hall set up in the lobby of old Holiday Inn, the conference, GRWA and Southeastern Tank have grown by leaps and bounds and we have never missed a single one. Although, we came real close one time.

There was the one time in 2002 that I forgot to register and showed up to discover we had no booth space. My dad, who had suffered some health setbacks, was on his way from Saint Simons to see me and the booth. I went to Jimmy Matthews in a panic, hoping that something, anything could be done. Calmly, Jimmy looked around, saw a gap in the corner and let me set up right in a space where there had been no space.

Dad and Jimmy’s 20 plus year old relationship saved my hide that day. In 2018, we celebrate our 40th year providing glass fused to structures with over 150 Aquastore™ tanks in Georgia alone. It goes without saying that our success has come not only through our commitment to quality and service but also our 31 years as an associate member of Georgia Rural Water. And helped me keep my job along the way.

And this is the story of how it all began.

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In the beginning…

It goes without saying that Southeastern Tank would not be here today if it wasn’t for Tennessee utilities. From our first Aquastore installation for Marshall County Public Utilities Board in 1981 to our sixteen-tank footprint in Watts Bar Utility District, Tennessee is where we started, where we first gained acceptance and where we call home.

Among our over 500 installations in the Volunteer state, we take considerable pride in getting to drink water from our own tanks from Gladeville Utility District which is located on the same road as our office in Wilson County. In 1991, we built a 500,00-gallon Aquastore™ clearwell when the original water treatment plant was built. When the plant was expanded in 2006, we helped with the addition by building a new 1.0 million-gallon clearwell and a 1.0 million gallon distribution tank.

Most recently, we replaced two welded tanks with duplicate 800,000 gallon tanks that services the Posey Hill and Rural Hill zones. Notably, these tanks supply water the home of our very own Dustin Dowdy.

So how did we get here? Funny you should ask.

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