An automated tension infiltrometer including a soil contacting base to which is mounted a porous plate for interfacing the infiltrometer with the soil to be analyzed. A Marriotte column is positioned in the base so that its open bottom end abuts the porous plate. A bubble tower is also positioned in the base and has a bubbling tube operatively connected between its interior and interior of the Marriotte column. The bubble tower is adjustable to provide variable tension to the Marriotte column. First and second transducers are positioned at the upper and lower parts of the Marriotte column and continuously measure pressure changes at those positions while water from the column infiltrates into the soil. By correlating these measurements, improved precision in measuring water level is achieved, which in turn allows improved results regarding deriving soil characteristic information.