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Surface hydrology

Whether you're modeling stormwater runoff, validating LID designs, or protecting critical watersheds, you know surface water is a moving target. And the systems that manage it are only as good as the data behind them. What decisions would you make differently if you could track infiltration and runoff as they unfold, not after the peak has already passed? You carry the weight of prediction, prevention, and proof. But with limited budgets, tight field crews, and demanding timelines, collecting consistent, high-quality surface water data can feel out of reach.

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Why you can’t afford low quality equipment

Precision monitoring of surface water flow and infiltration is essential, but it often comes with tradeoffs:

Complex setups with fragile equipment

Data gaps from missed storm events

High costs to scale across multiple basins or LID installations

Manual downloads or disconnected loggers that slow analysis

Without reliable, site-specific data, your models weaken. Your reports face scrutiny. And the communities you’re working to protect stay vulnerable.

METER builds tools designed to perform in the environments you work in: urban infrastructure, green stormwater systems, remote basins, or roadside ditches. Our sensors are developed by field scientists who understand the challenges of capturing hydrological events as they unfold.

Here’s how we help:

ATMOS 41 all-in-one weather station tracks rainfall intensity, wind, temp, and solar radiation: no moving parts, no maintenance headaches

The SATURO tracks infiltration and saturation across slopes, basins, and vegetated swales

TEROS sensors monitor soil moisture and soil water potential

ZL6 loggers and ZENTRA Cloud software bring your data to the cloud, enabling real-time monitoring from anywhere

These aren’t lab-bound instruments. They’re engineered for field longevity, low power, and easy deployment. You get research-grade accuracy without overcomplicated systems.

Monitor smarter, faster, and more affordably

You don’t need another overly complex, under-supported monitoring system. You need something you can install in a day or two, trust for years, and explain to both your tech crew and your regulator. That’s exactly what METER offers.

Here’s how to start:

Tell us your monitoring goal: our systems fit a broad range of applications: LID validation, storm event analysis, distributed rainfall mapping, and more.

Choose the right sensor combo: ATMOS 41 for rainfall and weather, SATURO for infiltration, TEROS for soil moisture and water potential, ZL6 for connecting data to the cloud.

Install quickly and connect remotely: our hardware is designed for fast setup and reliable signal even in remote or urban areas.

Access and act on your data: ZENTRA Cloud visualizes soil moisture and rainfall events so you don’t miss a moment that matters.

Clarity

without compromise

When the storm hits and the data isn’t there, consequences follow. Without high-resolution surface water data, you risk:

Missed compliance deadlines

Incomplete or delayed models

Over- or under-designed infrastructure

Field crews scrambling for data after the fact

Poorly justified funding requests or rejected designs

With METER, you’re no longer reacting after the fact. You’re anticipating the event. You’re no longer estimating infiltration rates based on assumptions. Your crew isn’t chasing data after a storm. They’re reviewing the data you already have in hand. You'll know:

When runoff starts

How fast it infiltrates

How your design performed

And what to do next based on accurate data

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“The SATURO was really favored by our students because it has a nice 5-gallon container, tests happen fairly quickly, and it’s automated, so it’s very computationally ‘un-intensive’ compared to some of the other approaches we’ve used.“

– Dr. Andrea Welker, College of Engineering | Villanova University

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Surface hydrology solutions

You’re working hard to stay ahead of runoff, recharge, and regulation—balancing performance, compliance, and public accountability. METER can help you monitor more sites with fewer headaches and stronger results. Explore METER surface hydrology solutions.

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Field Hydraulic Properties

Field Hydraulic Properties

Measure the movement and distribution of water in the soil to inform water management, predict soil behavior under a variety of moisture conditions, measure groundwater recharge, or optimize agricultural practices for efficient water usage. Field instruments like the SATURO set the standard for simple, accurate, and time-efficient data collection.

Field Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity

SATURO

Field Unsaturated Hydraulic Conductivity

MINI DISK INFILTROMETER

Field Moisture Release Curve

Water Potential

TEROS 32 Z

Z See how ZENTRA Cloud can simplify data management

Generate in situ soil moisture retention curves using TEROS water content sensors, water potential sensors, and tensiometers installed at multiple depths

Get accurate, in situ hydraulic conductivity measurements with less water and simpler processes using SATURO and the Mini Disk Infiltrometer

ZL6 Data Logger next to a tablet and several screenshots. the tablet and screenshots show data visualizations from ZENTRA Cloud software

ZENTRA System

Customize your data collection and logging solution by combining multiple METER sensors with the ZL6 Data Logger and ZENTRA Cloud. ZENTRA stores your data in the cloud, allowing easy access to your data and near-real-time reports from all of your data loggers.

Avoid costly field visits by accessing your data from any web-connected device. Analyze it with ZENTRA Cloud’s built-in visualization tools, and easily share insights without tracking down log files on individual computers.

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LABROS System

Streamline your laboratory analyses and reduce human error using the innovative LABROS soil science laboratory collection. Perform automated particle size analysis, generate soil moisture release curves, or measure thermal and hydraulic conductivity with METER laboratory instruments designed to produce accurate analyses in a fraction of the time of other methods.

Even better, LABROS instruments can be combined to perform all of these analyses from a single sample, saving time and reducing measurement errors due to variations in sample characteristics.

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LABROS-capable laboratory instruments from METER, including WP4C, KSAT, VARIOS, and PARIO