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Explosive ordnance surveys on landfill and waste deposition sites

Before groundworks on a waste deposition site, what matters is what lies in the affected area: known strata, relocated material, installations and possible contaminants. Using your plans and existing reports, FONTANA-EOD clarifies which volume the explosive ordnance survey should cover and which method is suitable under those conditions.

Composition

Show strata and relocated materials on the plan.

Measurability

Take deposited metal into account.

Protective requirements

Coordinate hazardous substances and working conditions.

Environment, contaminated land and geotechnics

Discuss groundworks on waste deposition sitesSelect suitable investigation services

Consider deposited materials, protective structures and the explosive ordnance question separately

Before a ground intervention on a waste deposition site, information about strata, existing documents and the intended execution is brought together. Deposited metal or engineered containment measures may affect the findings of an explosive ordnance survey. FONTANA-EOD clarifies the survey scope with the responsible planners; material assessment and requirements for protective structures remain separate specialist tasks.

Investigation task

Relate the survey to the affected deposition area

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Describe the ground intervention and existing composition

State where and at what depth groundworks are planned. Available information on the deposited layers and engineered containment measures is included. The responsible planners explain their requirements. The explosive ordnance assignment relates to this specific intervention; a general designation as a landfill assessment describes neither the ground volume involved nor the existing findings.

Select services for the ground intervention described
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Relate interference to the specialist questions

Deposited metal, installations or varying made ground may complicate geophysical evaluation. Known conditions are identified before the method is selected. The specialist contractor explains which findings can be sought under these conditions. An area that is difficult to evaluate is documented with its limitations and the further work required.

Select methods according to interference and the survey objective
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Record further ground interventions separately

An additional utility trench or a later foundation point may affect different ground volumes from the first survey. The new plan is therefore compared with the existing documentation. Limits and restrictions are retained. The responsible specialists clarify which findings remain usable and what additions the new task requires.

Compare further ground interventions with previous reports

Distinguish planned interventions within the deposited material

A site may combine a cover, different deposited materials and structures added later. The work requires a clear distinction between known strata and assumptions. The term “landfill site” does not replace a description of the actual ground intervention.

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Investigation boreholes and trial pits

Point locations, depths and sampling methods are compared with the existing information about strata. The planned investigation may itself constitute a ground intervention requiring prior specialist preparation. A planned sample does not establish the explosive ordnance status.

Explosive ordnance assessment for borehole locations and ground investigations
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Cover and protective structures

Planning needs to establish which containment or cover layers are present and whether the ground intervention affects them. The responsible specialists define the conditions under which work can take place. A cover must not be opened independently merely to make an enquiry easier.

Ordnance checks for environmental and geotechnical consultancies
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Excavation and construction use

Later excavation may affect larger areas or different depths from the initial investigation. Material handling and new utility trenches are recorded according to their actual ground interventions. A previous survey of individual points cannot be transferred to the whole construction phase without comparison.

Explosive ordnance assessment on contaminated land

Identify the main unknowns before selecting the method

On waste deposition sites, a clear distinction between verified information and assumptions is particularly important. It affects which findings can technically be obtained and which further information is needed first.

Only part of the strata is known

Compile existing profiles, deposition records and earlier investigations. Missing depth or provenance information remains explicitly open. Method selection takes account of the documented composition and remaining uncertainties. Assign each document to the part of the waste deposition site that it actually describes. A profile from an edge area does not automatically answer questions about a different body of deposited material. Information on known extensions, additional covers and subsequent relocation of material, together with its sources, is helpful. For the planned construction task, record which strata are expected to be affected and where their composition remains unclear. Specialist planning can then identify specific clarification needs rather than assume uniform ground conditions without evidence.

Metallic interference is expected

Describe known deposited materials and technical installations. A large number of metallic signals may complicate evaluation. This establishes neither reliable identification of the objects nor a universally negative survey result. Distinguish mapped utilities or structures from merely suspected deposited materials. The specialist contractor needs this distinction to assess visible sources of interference together with the measured anomalies. If supplementary preliminary investigations or test measurements are planned, their question and conditions are described. Their result supports the choice of a suitable procedure for the affected area. A section with substantial interference may require different work from a neighbouring accessible area; both are clearly delineated on the plan.

A protective layer is affected

The planners coordinate the ground intervention with those responsible for containment. Explosive ordnance work, occupational safety and protective structures must be compatible. Necessary preparatory works are defined together with responsibility, the permitted ground intervention and protective measures. Existing covers, sealing layers and drainage installations are identified with their known locations. The operator and specialist planners clarify which working areas are accessible and which protective functions must be retained during a survey. Therefore describe not only the later excavation but also the intended access works. If a change to the protective structure is being considered for this, it must be coordinated with those responsible. The survey assignment identifies the agreed preparatory services and prerequisites for starting specialist work.

Context

First describe the affected deposition area

The designation “landfill site” is not sufficient for an enquiry. What matters is which area a construction measure affects, for example an earlier deposit, a later cover or an existing utility corridor. State what is documented about its composition and which information is missing. The composition beneath the ground cannot be reliably inferred from today's surface alone.

Reports must also distinguish whether they describe contaminated land or an unresolved suspicion. In Germany, § 2 BBodSchG distinguishes contaminated sites from sites suspected of contamination and identifies the corresponding criteria. The designation as a waste deposition site alone does not establish suspected explosive ordnance. Explosive ordnance findings and the classification under soil protection legislation are therefore recorded separately.

Project-specific tasks

State the location, depth and access for the groundworks

01

Compile plans and strata profiles

Provide site plans, available existing profiles and information on earlier fill or relocated materials. Identify the provenance and date of this information. Assumed strata boundaries should be clearly distinguished from documented information. Also state the ground elevation from which the planned intervention depths are measured.

02

Define utility trenches, shafts and other construction areas

If utilities, shafts or other installations are to be renewed, describe the intended ground intervention and access to it. Surveying a limited utility corridor is a different task from area-wide construction work. Show on the plan which covers and installations must be retained. Clarify necessary changes before including them as prerequisites for the survey.

03

Pass on hazardous substance information

Contaminated areas may involve additional hazardous substance questions. Make existing relevant information and protective plans available to the responsible project parties. These conditions must be included in the preparation of the explosive ordnance work. A geophysical survey establishes neither the absence of chemical contamination nor permission to open a deposit at will.

Link the survey and construction task in the project records

For ground interventions on landfill and waste deposition sites, it must remain traceable which interventions a result concerns. The documentation brings together the initial data, the survey actually carried out and its conclusions. A property designation or brief completion note is insufficient to assess later changes to the construction project.

Retain documents with their scope

Existing site plans, historical assessments and earlier survey reports are provided with their dates and appendices. Location and elevation references are important for investigation points, trial pits, covers and planned excavation areas. Undocumented assumptions are recorded as outstanding information. This makes it clear when selecting methods which statements are based on documents and which conditions still need clarification.

Record the work actually carried out

The areas surveyed, methods used and departures identified are assigned to the construction revision implemented. An inaccessible area or an area where data cannot be evaluated is not summarised as completed. Changes during fieldwork also belong in the result documents. This distinguishes the report's assessment from a survey originally planned but not carried out.

Hand over results for the next construction phase

The handover identifies the surveyed volume, the applicable conditions and outstanding questions. A deeper investigation or relocation of the excavation area must then be compared with this scope. Those involved must be able to recognise whether existing findings still apply or supplementary work is needed. A statement about the surveyed area must not be extended to further areas or greater intervention depths without checking.

Document strata, ground interventions and limits together

The report must distinguish what was known beforehand, what was actually surveyed and what could not be reliably assessed under the conditions.

Known and assumed strata

Profiles and historical information are provided with their provenance. An unconfirmed strata boundary is not used as a reliable reference level. The data quality remains identifiable for later evaluation.

Accessibility and protective conditions

Vehicle access, site access and requirements for protective structures are assigned to the intended working area. Restrictions may affect execution and the result that can be achieved, so they belong in the project documents.

What the result establishes

The documentation identifies surveyed volumes and remaining limits. The chemical assessment of the material and its waste disposal classification are prepared by the specialists appointed for those tasks. Further ground interventions need to be compared with the survey scope actually achieved. Required follow-up surveys and exposure works are assigned to the affected area. Recovery of confirmed explosive ordnance is coordinated with the permitted scope of activities, local responsibilities and documentation. After actual exposure or clearance work, the corresponding findings and clearance records are included.

Next steps

Clarify documents and access before the survey

01

Hand over reports and mark missing information

Hand over existing explosive ordnance documents together with the relevant information on the body of deposited material. Mark missing profiles, unclear material relocations or inaccessible zones. This establishes which information is still needed to select the survey method. If historical questions remain open, supplementary records of site use are researched and suitable wartime aerial photographs are assessed where available. The findings and limits of the assessment are assigned to the ground intervention now planned.

02

Coordinate working conditions with the specialists

Involve the operator, construction management and the people responsible for hazardous substances or other specialist tasks. Clarify the access provided and the limits of the intended works. Necessary changes to a cover or interventions in areas with unknown substances must be clarified in advance with the responsible specialists.

03

Show surveyed areas and areas that cannot be evaluated in the report

Document which subareas were surveyed using which method and where limitations exist. A section that cannot be evaluated remains identifiable as such. For the next planning step, specialists must then decide which supplementary findings or measures are required.

Align the survey with the conditions for ground intervention

Before fieldwork, known site information and the requirements of the specialist planners involved are brought together. The cover, deposited materials and permitted access are considered in survey planning.

1

Compile the documents

The planners provide ground intervention details, depths and available information on the strata. Unknown areas are identified. The next specialist step is defined on this basis.

2

Prepare the work

Method selection, access and protective conditions are coordinated. Ground volumes that cannot be evaluated or reached remain identifiable as limitations.

3

Agree the survey method

The method is selected according to the basis for suspicion, strata, intervention depth, interference and accessible areas. The operator, planners and specialist contractor coordinate the required surveys and protective measures with the requirements for the cover and protective structures.

4

Carry out the investigation

The commissioned survey is carried out in the agreed investigation and excavation areas. Measurement data, findings and limitations are recorded with location, depth and plan references.

5

Assess results

Measurement data and findings are evaluated by specialists. Outstanding areas, required follow-up surveys and the next decision are identified for the operator, environmental planners and construction management.

6

Pass on the result

The specialist assessment describes its spatial and technical scope. For later excavation or construction works, a check is made whether it covers the ground intervention then planned.

Technical assessment

How scrap and construction rubble affect surveys

Deposited metal may mask measurements

The BFR KMR describe how scrap, reinforced construction rubble and other metallic components can strongly affect magnetic or electromagnetic measurements. Individual objects may then be distinguishable only to a limited extent. An anomalous signal does not yet reliably establish what the object is. Nor does an area that cannot be adequately evaluated support a conclusion that explosive ordnance is absent.

Select methods according to strata and measurement conditions

The known thickness and composition of made ground, the suspected search target and accessibility influence the choice of method. The BFR KMR also provide for preliminary investigation and geophysical test measurements to clarify local conditions. Whether these are necessary and suitable for the particular assignment is justified on technical grounds. No universal depth or area coverage can be inferred from this. Surveys and protective measures are also coordinated with the operator and specialist planners before preparatory ground interventions, such as vegetation clearance, demolition, breaking up surfaces and creating access routes and working areas. Requirements for the cover and protective structures are observed; subareas that become accessible later are surveyed before the respective subsequent ground interventions.

Treat hazardous substance protection as a separate task

TRGS 524, applied in Germany in its July 2026 version, addresses activities in contaminated areas and includes certain construction works on, at and within landfills. Its scope also contains exceptions. Those responsible must classify the specific activity and take account of the required risk assessment and protective measures.

Select methods according to the ground intervention and ground conditions

Metal-containing made ground and engineered containment measures may mask magnetic and electromagnetic measurements. A suitable combination of methods must take these conditions into account. Equipment is not selected merely because it was used on other sites.

Historical aerial photographs and documents

Assessment of historical aerial photographs and other documents helps establish suspected explosive ordnance hazards. It considers previous uses and identifiable indications in the investigation area. This provides a basis for deciding on further measures. It does not replace a technical survey of the ground and cannot describe every later fill or subsequent change.

Historical aerial photograph assessment for the construction area

Magnetometry and TDEM

Magnetic and electromagnetic surveys detect different physical properties. Utilities, steel parts, reinforcement and metal-bearing made ground can affect data evaluation. A signal is initially a survey finding, not a confirmed object identification. Method selection must therefore consider expected target objects, surroundings and actual data interpretability together. Magnetometry detects magnetic anomalies; TDEM detects time-dependent electromagnetic responses from electrically conductive objects.

Magnetometry and site conditions Assess electromagnetic surveying

Ground-penetrating radar

Ground-penetrating radar adds information where the question and ground conditions are suitable. The discernible depth and distinguishability of structures depend, among other things, on ground conditions and existing installations. It is not a universal replacement for other survey methods. Whether a combination adds useful information is decided using the specific survey objective.

Ground-penetrating radar and its limitations

Downhole and deep-ground survey

For deeper interventions, an investigation from suitable borehole or survey points may be considered. The position, depth and technical execution of these points must be planned. A conclusion about one point or a limited area cannot be transferred to the next excavation merely because it is nearby. The report must identify the volume actually investigated. For individual borehole or foundation points, the volume of ground to be checked and the achievable measurement coverage are compared before defining a borehole grid. Necessary investigations and protective measures are determined before drilling. Casing, drilling depth and documentation are coordinated with the task and local conditions.

Coordinate deep-ground and borehole surveys

Excavation supervision and investigation of findings

Its use is defined in relation to the preceding investigations, the suspected hazard and the construction sequence. Unresolved areas, interfering installations and intended intervention depths must be discussed before work starts. Any necessary investigation of findings must be planned separately. Each working layer is technically surveyed and assessed before controlled removal in layers with supplementary visual inspection. The steps are repeated down to the agreed formation level. Excavation layers, stop signal, authority to give instructions, reporting routes and documentation are agreed with site management and specialist personnel before work starts.

Excavation supervision for the planned section Explosive ordnance recovery following technical clarification

Provide investigation results for the next construction phase

For ground interventions on landfill and waste deposition sites, traceable work on the specific interventions is what matters. FONTANA-EOD describes the agreed survey scope and the limits of the methods used. The conclusion is derived from the documents and results actually available. Unresolved information or restricted measurement conditions remain assigned to the affected survey area.

The same design revision for planning and fieldwork

The planned ground interventions are maintained on an agreed site plan. Where changes occur, the revision replaced is recorded. This prevents the specialist contractor inadvertently working to older geometry while construction is already preparing a different ground intervention.

Distinguish survey findings from assessments

An anomalous signal is initially a finding requiring technical assessment. Conversely, difficult or unreliable data evaluation cannot be treated as a negative result. Useful further investigation is decided in view of the survey question and site conditions.

Agree handovers explicitly

The responsible planners and the operator's representatives receive the results and limitations needed for the next decision. For outstanding subareas, the information or measures still needed are clarified. This gives the project parties an identifiable handover point between survey, assessment and further execution.

Project sequence and coordination

Coordinate the operator, environmental planning and explosive ordnance work

Joint planning requires clear contacts for ground interventions, protective structures and results. Different specialist assessments remain traceably assigned.

Operator and client

They provide available information and operational conditions. Permitted preparation of working areas is clarified with those responsible.

Environmental and construction planning

The specialist planners describe material-related tasks, protective conditions and construction interventions. Laboratory and waste disposal questions are handled by the specialists appointed for them.

Ordnance specialist contractor and responsible authorities

FONTANA-EOD addresses the agreed explosive ordnance question and identifies the limits of the findings. The responsibilities of authorities and for ordnance finds are taken into account for each project.

In Germany, state ordnance disposal services and locally competent authorities carry out hazard response and find management. Their involvement and public-order or building-control tasks are established for the project location. Outside Germany, local responsibilities apply. Contacts, requirements and reporting are assigned to the specific works.

Documentation

Assign results to the areas and depths surveyed

The results report should bring together the location and elevation references of the surveyed areas, the chosen method and the limitations identified. The strata and deposited materials described must remain traceable to the respective documents used. Later changes to the terrain or a different ground intervention may require a new specialist comparison.

Analytical findings about contaminants, an explosive ordnance survey and waste disposal information answer different questions. Keep the corresponding reports and contacts separately identifiable. FONTANA-EOD undertakes the agreed explosive ordnance task. Laboratory analyses, landfill planning and classification under waste legislation are separate services provided by the specialists appointed for them.

Technical sources: BFR KMR: clearance planning with a clearance concept – introduction · BFR KMR: geophysics · BFR KMR: documentation · § 2 BBodSchG: definitions · BAuA: TRGS 524 – July 2026 edition

The Baufachliche Richtlinien Kampfmittelräumung contain requirements for historical and technical investigation, clearance concepts, procurement and documentation within their defined federal remit. Their application to the particular construction project on the waste deposition site, together with locally applicable requirements and responsibilities, is clarified separately.

Consider adjacent work tasks

Preparation combines information about the material and the planned ground investigations. Both are needed to distinguish the specialist tasks clearly.

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Contaminated sites

Distinguish material assessment from explosive ordnance surveying according to their respective tasks.

Contaminated sites
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Construction phases

Update the survey scope as the works progress

Before a ground investigation

Compile the intended investigation programme and available site documents. Point locations that remain open are identified as options. The initial discussion relates existing findings to the forthcoming decision. This helps define the specialist services before specific groundworks are commissioned or scheduled.

Coordinate this work step

Before a construction ground intervention

For the selected section, the intervention plan, depth and local conditions are considered together. The operator and planners explain the affected composition and their requirements. The explosive ordnance specialist contractor aligns its own task accordingly. Requirements from other disciplines remain assigned to them and are not merged into a general survey statement.

Coordinate this work step

After a partial measure

The report describes the area actually worked on. For a further stage, this status is compared with the new plan. Unsurveyed edge areas remain identifiable. Completing a partial task therefore does not automatically establish findings for the entire body of deposited material or all later ground interventions.

Coordinate this work step
Project site

Clearly identify the deposition section and responsibilities

Illustrated map of Germany with location markers on a construction site.

Mark the area and access route

State the location, subarea and intended access. Operational designations used are linked to the site plan. Add the contacts for the operator and planners. Regional identification helps with preparation but does not replace a precise description of the affected deposition area.

Identify the project region
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Provide existing documents with their scope

Reports and information are provided in full, including spatial appendices. A document concerning a different development phase may address different conditions. Identify such differences. The specialist planners can then relate the existing state of knowledge to the specific ground intervention now intended.

Assign reports with their appendices and scopes
Understand the results

Correctly assign specialist findings about the waste deposition site

Distinguish the explosive ordnance question from material assessment

Explosive ordnance work addresses its agreed subject. Statements about contaminants and engineered protective structures come from the respective specialist documents. The project organisation brings these sources together. A result is not used as a substitute for a different specialist question merely because both concern the same site address.

Explore results and terminology

Retain documented limits for subsequent works

For the next groundworks, the report and result plan are read together. Location, depth and limitations determine the scope of the findings. Changed point locations or additional working volumes are compared separately. The original documents are retained as a traceable basis.

Understand the documented limits for subsequent works

Technical information

Environment, contaminated land and geotechnics: brochure

Ordnance checks, contaminated-land investigations and ground investigations serve different purposes. The brochure describes their interfaces and shows how drilling and other ground interventions are coordinated.

Download the brochure as a PDF
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Environment, contaminated land and geotechnics: brochure – page 1

German · 8 pages

Questions from planning

Questions about surveying waste deposition sites

Is every former landfill an area suspected of containing explosive ordnance?

No. Suspected explosive ordnance requires relevant evidence. Use as a waste deposition site alone does not replace establishing that evidence; its classification under soil protection legislation must also be considered separately.

How are metallic signals and areas with substantial interference assessed?

Deposited metal may mask measurement signals and limit their interpretability. Whether possible explosive ordnance can be distinguished from scrap depends on the survey method and local conditions. Limitations are assigned to the affected area. An unreliable statement must not be equated with a negative finding. Further steps are defined according to the survey question and site conditions.

Does an existing borehole log help with preparation?

Yes, if its provenance, location, elevation reference and limits are known. It helps define the survey volume but is not itself explosive ordnance evidence for the planned ground intervention.

Must a cover be removed before making an enquiry?

No. For the enquiry, first describe the existing cover. Do not alter it on your own to create what you believe is a prerequisite for the survey. Necessary preparatory works and their prerequisites must be coordinated with the responsible specialists.

Does the explosive ordnance report confirm the absence of contaminants?

No. The explosive ordnance report describes the explosive ordnance survey carried out and its result. The presence of contaminants is assessed through separate investigations by the responsible specialists.

What should we do if a suspicious item is found?

If an unexpected suspicious object is found, stop work in the affected area immediately. Do not touch, move or uncover it further. Leave the immediate area, keep your distance and keep others away without putting yourself at risk. In Germany, notify the police immediately on 110; outside Germany, use the local emergency procedure. The authorities determine what happens next. Inform the operator, site management and the client; internal reporting must not delay the emergency call.

Which information is needed for a quotation and cost assessment?

The ground intervention plan, depths, known strata and deposited materials, protective conditions, access arrangements and existing reports are helpful. Identify missing information. These details are more informative than the total site area alone. Protective requirements, suitable methods, evaluation and documentation are considered when defining the scope of services and costs.

Does surveying the investigation points cover later construction?

Only insofar as the documented survey scope actually covers the later ground interventions. Individual investigation points, area-wide excavation and foundations may concern different ground volumes. The new construction plan is therefore compared with the location, depth and conditions of the survey.

Relate the enquiry to the ground intervention actually planned

Initial contact is possible with provisional documents. Mark which details are confirmed and which are still planned or unclear. Describe the next project decision needed; the suitable method is agreed together according to the intervention and survey conditions.

Location, depth and construction details

Send the address or region and a site plan showing investigation points, trial pits, covers and planned excavation areas. Add the planned ground intervention depths, reference elevations where applicable, and the intended construction method. Working volumes and additional ground interventions outside the actual structure footprint should also be identifiable. If there are variants, it must be clear which has already been selected and which is only being considered as a possible alternative.

Existing findings and constraints

Send complete explosive ordnance documents with attachments and relevant existing asset and utility plans. Information on made ground, metal installations or restricted access helps the assessment. An extract without a site plan may obscure a report's spatial scope. Known gaps or conflicting details should therefore be stated in the initial enquiry.

Timing and specialist contacts

State the planned execution period and the contacts for the responsible planners and the operator's representatives. Describe whether you are preparing a tender, coordinating a specific ground intervention or relating an existing report to a change. This information is used to develop the next specialist step. A firm statement about the work involved or the schedule requires a sufficiently defined task.

Documents for the planned ground intervention

Send the plan of the intended ground intervention, existing information about the deposited layers and the explosive ordnance documents. Identify the operator, the responsible environmental specialists and known restrictions on access or work. We clarify with you which information is still missing for the explosive ordnance survey and how the survey can be prepared.

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Have your project assessed

Whether historical aerial photograph analysis, explosive ordnance surveying, surface surveying using GPR, magnetometry or TDEM, deep-ground surveys, downhole surveys, excavation supervision, area clearance or ordnance recovery is needed depends on the location, ground disturbance, depth, ground and existing documents. An early ordnance assessment provides clarity for tendering, programming, occupational safety and construction.

FONTANA-EOD combines its Section 7 SprengG licence, specialists holding Section 20 SprengG certificates of competence, suitable survey and clearance methods, and traceable documentation. Send the site plan, depth of ground disturbance, construction phase and existing documents for an initial technical assessment.

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