In 2020 Monuments Fund Aruba finalized the restoration of the Lime Kiln. The project was combined with a course about the use of lime on historic buildings. Now SMFA will start working on the plans for the conservation of the Water Tank in the neighborhood of Rancho.
In the case of the water tanks SMFA opted to conserve it in its current state in order to prevent further deterioration. It will not be restored but conserved.

The difference between restoration and conservation is that when a building or monumental object is restored, the focus is to bring it back to its original state. Based on collected information, photographs, research on the monument itself and information from the original owners the building will be brought back to its original appearance. In this case the historical use over the years will not be visible anymore.

In the case of conservation, the focus is on historic research and documentation of the monuments in its current state and preventive measures will be applied to prevent further deterioration. For this it is important to do a research of the materials to make sure not to use the wrong materials that can affect the original materials.

With respect to the water tank in Rancho, SMFA opted to conserve the tank in its current state. One of the reasons is that we do not have enough information or photographs that show how the tank was in 1905 after construction.

Andrew deGruchy an expert in the restoration of historic buildings, from Limeworks us, will be on the island to do some research and give SMFA advice on how to use lime for the conservation of the tank. This will be the first monument on Aruba that will be conserved and will not undergo a complete restoration.

The water tank in Rancho is an industrial monument built in 1905 by Cornelis Hendrik Eman. From this tank water was sold to the neighbors. After the death of Cornelis in 1914, the tank was no longer used. The tank consists of two rings with the largest having a circumference of 23.20 meters.