Stemster Mains man hailed a hero for helping fix water crisis in Canadian city
A Caithness man now living in the United States was hailed as a hero by the people of Calgary for helping fix a major water crisis in the city.
Martin Coghill originally hails from Stemster Mains and now lives with his family in California where he is the operations and maintenance manager for asset management at the San Diego County Water Authority.
Martin helped the city of Calgary when a major water main break plunged it into a state of emergency with its residents living with water-use restrictions for some weeks. Calgary’s 1.6 million people had been cut off from more than half of its water supply since June 5 and Martin came on board to help with the dire situation.
“I recently helped the City of Calgary by sending two pieces of 78-inch steel pipe to them,” said Martin.
“They suffered a catastrophic pipe failure and didn’t have enough pipe to repair the water main. But what went viral is the message I sprayed on the side of the pipe which Calgarians claimed lifted their spirits.
“Long story short, I was awarded a ‘Mayoral White Hat’ by the mayor of Calgary last week at the opening ceremony at a pipelines conference.”
Receiving a coveted white hat is the ultimate honour and a symbol of outstanding leadership and performance. It is considered the equivalent of bestowing the keys to the city.
The mayor's office conducts 15 to 25 white hatting ceremonies per year; among its recipients have been Queen Elizabeth II; world leaders Vladimir Putin, Tony Blair, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush; the Dalai Lama, Pope John Paul II; entertainers Bob Dylan, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, David Lee Roth, Luciano Pavarotti, Oprah Winfrey, and even Mickey Mouse.
“It was an exceptional honour. Unfortunately, water industry professionals, and especially those that manage large diameter transmission pipelines serving millions of people, do not get recognised for the hard work they do – it’s only when something goes wrong that the industry receives attention,” said Martin.
“The Mayor of Calgary, Jyoti Gondek, took the time to recognise not only the exceptional work the City of Calgary workers and contractors put in to restoring their water supply but also the interconnectedness of the water industry and the passion and empathy we all share in doing our jobs.
“It was a pleasure to help them out in their hour of need. I was especially happy that my wife Nic and daughters Amy and Sophie were there to experience the event – I hope the next generation will be inspired to work hard for the greater public good, and who knows, someone might celebrate their efforts one day.”
The City of Calgary shared a post on X that was viewed over a million times showing pipes that Martin sent over that were signed by him with “Good luck Calgary” and followed by a heart symbol and the letters SDCWA (San Diego County Water Authority).
Martin also appeared on a TV network broadcast by Calgary City News which can be viewed at:
Martin leads the development and implementation of asset management practices related to the Water Authority’s large diameter pipelines and associated facilities and is passionate about multi-agency collaboration on asset management activities, both regionally and nationally.
He also leads the Innovation Program at the Water Authority and obtained the organisation’s first ever utility patent in 2022.
