The Oklahoma Hydronet

The Oklahoma Hydronet is an integrated, statewide monitoring system for early warning and improved management of hydrologic extremes. The system will provide a comprehensive approach to managing soil water, surface water, and groundwater resources across Oklahoma through real-time monitoring and decision-support tools.

This presentation will concentrate on the soil water aspect of the Hydronet. A key objective of the project is to deploy soil volumetric water sensors at 120 sites across the Oklahoma Mesonet. In the summer of 2023, researchers from Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma began evaluating various sensor types at selected Mesonet locations. This presentation will cover the outcomes of these sensor evaluations, the insights gained from the initial installations, and the plans for future soil water monitoring products.