Rising above Montgomery College’s Germantown Campus is one of Montgomery County’s most recognizable and unusual landmarks, a massive water tank painted to resemble the Earth and known locally as the “Earthoid.”
The Earthoid is not just decorative. It is a fully functional water storage tank with a capacity of about two million gallons, owned and operated by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC). According to Montgomery College, the tank plays an important role in water distribution for the Germantown area while also serving as a piece of public art that has become part of the community’s identity.
Atlas Obscura shares that the tank was constructed in 1978 by the Chicago Bridge and Iron Company. Rather than leaving it as a plain steel structure, Montgomery College students were invited to help shape its appearance. Students voted to have the tank painted as a globe, reflecting both environmental awareness and a desire to turn an industrial structure into something visually meaningful…