BESST

BESST’s emphasis on research and development has led to the creation of innovative subsurface sampling technologies that detect and divert poor-quality water sources, deliver substantial savings to clients, and eliminate the environmental impact of treating contaminated water. Its industry-leading technologies are developed with the goal of solving groundwater quality and quantity problems in cost-effective ways.

Ascertaining where poor-quality water originates in a well or aquifer traditionally begins with removing heavy water pumping equipment, which is labor-intensive and costs between $70,000 and $120,000. Common water quality rectification methods involve expensive treatment technologies.

These conventional solutions to remove common water contaminants, such as arsenic, chromium, or uranium, have a large carbon footprint and produce concentrated toxic wastes that detrimentally impact local communities and the environment.

Instead of conventional methods, BESST uses its robust, patented products and intellectual property, including downhole tracers, groundwater samplers, and other miniaturized technologies, to access wells and operate far ahead of competitors. The focus is on discovering where poor quality water enters municipal water supply and mapping zonal flow and zonal chemistry. Next is blocking the contamination and hydraulically manipulating the well to produce regulatory-compliant water. These technologies eliminate the hassle of water pump removal and heavy chemical treatment.

Noah Heller, president and principal hydrogeologist at BESST, says, “What we do is analogous to catheterization of humans for angioplasty. It’s all done through a catheter. We are essentially catheterizing wells with our technologies to avoid having to pull out the pumps and damage the wells.”

Viewing each challenge as an opportunity to innovate, BESST has helped numerous municipalities and private water companies throughout the U.S. solve groundwater problems. One customer is working with the team to profile various wells for nitrate contamination. Nitrate treatment for even a single well can cost millions of dollars. BESST’s subsurface-based technologies block the polluted water from entering these wells, saving the client significant costs.

When called upon to address well issues, it also provides consulting services as a turnkey package, not only applying the technology but also analyzing and interpreting the data accumulated to quickly and cost-effectively provide conclusions and recommendations. Suggestions on various remedies, well design and construction, geological interpretation, managed aquifer recharge and recovery, and other types of complex groundwater development projects are offered.

BESST has amassed the largest downhole geochemical database for municipal supply wells throughout California using its miniaturized downhole technology. This information is utilized to assess property values associated with agricultural and industrial applications and is also used by banks that issue loans to these communities.

The company has advanced its technology, which is now used to rapidly delineate zones of lithium and boron concentration, and map the amount of flow associated with these different zones for lithium extraction.

In 2004, BESST was granted an exclusive license from the United States Geological Survey for its miniaturized downhole tracer and depth-dependent sampler. One of the objectives of the license was to improve upon the technology and commercialize it for service within the industry.

BESST has also developed multi-level groundwater monitoring technologies and small-diameter Panacea Pumps popular in the mining sector. These pumps can lift the sample to the surface (up to 3,000 feet), dramatically reducing the cost of drilling, building, and monitoring wells in mines. Its latest development, Perfectly Isolated Compounds and Organics or PICO, can collect groundwater samples without any atmospheric contact. Scientists in the field can now fill sample vials in the small handheld device without any atmospheric contamination.

Reliable technologies, superior services, and an incredible team of hydrogeologists and engineers have been vital to BESST’s success. With innovation at the core, it has made its mark in the subsurface sampling space.