As early as 1978, the Pöllau basin in Styria was selected as a suitable hydrological test area and was equipped with meteorological and hydrological stations. Geologically speaking, the basin, which is open towards the south, is bounded by rocks of the crystalline basement, whose weathering products form small groundwater bodies in places which the morphological analysis has shown to lie mainly in the flat areas of hill crests and old erosion terraces. Apart from a general study of runoff conditions in the Pöllau basin, a micro catchment ("Höhenhansl") was equipped for detailed runoff studies.