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From design to commissioning: bringing a builder's view to water innovation
Hensel Phelps is an ENR Top 400 contractor. It has delivered more than 750 water and wastewater projects with a combined value of $3.1 billion. For startups in the program, this means working with a partner that works directly with utilities to build and commission water infrastructure.
Hensel Phelps builds and rehabilitates water and wastewater treatment plants and pump stations, expanding these capabilities through its 2021 acquisition of Hydro Construction, whose operations are now integrated into Hensel Phelps.
Through Diverge, its innovation and venture capital company launched in 2023, Hensel Phelps invests in construction technology companies and tests their products through controlled pilots at the Diverge Innovation Center in Phoenix and on active jobsites. Hensel Phelps is already applying that model to water, piloting immersive 3D and reality-capture tools on water and wastewater projects.
Hensel Phelps' expertise in action: Sand Island Wastewater Treatment Plant, Honolulu
For the City and County of Honolulu, Hensel Phelps delivered Phase 1 of secondary treatment at the Sand Island Wastewater Treatment Plant. The plant treats more than 55% of Oahu’s wastewater and is the largest wastewater treatment plant in Hawaii.
The Secondary Treatment Phase 1 project advances the city’s obligations under its 2010 EPA consent decree. Over five years, approximately 1,400 people worked more than 1.2 million hours to complete the project within the operating plant. The facility completed startup and celebrated its grand opening in August 2026, three months ahead of schedule.
"Water systems are under growing pressure, and many of the best ideas for meeting that pressure are coming from founders. Our critical infrastructure solutions go into new networks and upgrades to existing ones alike, so we see first-hand where technology can make the biggest difference.
"Innovation moves fastest when industry and founders develop it together. Hensel Phelps shares that conviction, and together we can help the most promising water technologies become working infrastructure." Derek Hoffine, EVP, Hensel Phelps
What this means for Accelerator startups
Hensel Phelps supports the program through:
early feedback on constructability and installation from teams that build and rehabilitate treatment plants
a view of how utility owners procure and deliver capital projects
possible routes to field validation on active projects
access to Hensel Phelps' VDC and reality-capture insight into how a solution integrates with existing assets
"Few systems matter more than water, and few are harder to change. Communities live with their water infrastructure for decades, so utilities need proof before they adopt anything new. Our experience delivering water infrastructure, together with CRH's engineered solutions, covers the full journey from manufacture to commissioning. Through the Accelerator, we can help founders build that proof faster, so communities see the benefit sooner." Murari Perumalsamy, Head of CRH Ventures