Select and specify an interior/exterior coating system for a steel potable-water storage tank

Steps

1. Confirm the current edition of AWWA D102, 'Coating Steel Water-Storage Tanks' (D102-24 is the current cited edition as of 2026 — verify against store.awwa.org before citing a year), since the standard is periodically revised
2. Identify the applicable Outside Coating System (OCS) and Inside Coating System (ICS) designations from the standard for the specific service (e.g., exterior atmospheric vs. interior submerged/potable contact) rather than assuming one system number applies to both surfaces
3. For any coating in contact with treated/potable water, separately confirm NSF/ANSI 61 compliance for the product (drinking-water-system-component health effects) in addition to meeting the D102 system requirements
4. Confirm surface preparation and DFT requirements referenced within the selected OCS/ICS system align with the SSPC-SP and SSPC-PA 2 standards D102 incorporates by reference
5. Verify the specific product/system combination against the tank owner's or state primacy agency's approved-materials list where one exists (many water utilities maintain their own approved product lists layered on top of D102/NSF 61)