Abstract: To solve the challenges in hydrological monitoring of small and medium river basins, such as complex terrain, high infrastructure costs, and poor data timeliness, and to promote automation transformation, this study takes the SEBAplus pulse radar water level gauge as the subject. Based on comparative measurement data and business research from two hydrological stations in Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province, a "precision-efficiency-cost" three-dimensional evaluation framework was constructed. The results indicate that the comprehensive uncertainty of the equipment in rocky mountainous areas ranges from 2.35 cm to 2.68 cm, with a system error of 0.94 cm to 0.98 cm, meeting national standards. Compared to traditional float-type water level gauges, the infrastructure cost is reduced by 76.7%, data continuity exceeds 98%, the early warning lead time is extended to 1.5 hours, and the full lifecycle cost decreases by 87.9%. This study provides an effective technical pathway and promotion basis for the automation of hydrological monitoring in small and medium river basins.