Technical map view of the Karlsruhe administrative district with Karlsruhe marked for explosive ordnance assessment and surveying by FONTANA-EOD

Explosive ordnance surveying in Heidelberg

Planning groundworks in Heidelberg or seeking to resume after a construction stoppage? For project owners, specialist planners and site managers, existing reports, new findings and official requirements are related to the next ground disturbance. Send the current site plan showing the remaining works and the correspondence available. After a find location has been dealt with, the prerequisites for further construction works are clarified separately.

Requirements

Clarify conditions for further work.

Construction area

Determine the investigation still needed.

Documentation

Assemble results for site management.

Discuss the project's technical requirementsExplosive ordnance assessment in Baden-Württemberg
Assess the construction project

Which prerequisites apply after a construction stoppage?

For further groundworks in Heidelberg, official requirements, new findings and existing investigation reports are related to the next ground disturbance. The specialist planner determines the additions needed. Site management requires the relevant evidence and decisions applicable to its own project.

Project references

Selected project examples

Project site

Connect the site with the specific construction task

Schematic map of Baden-Württemberg with its coat of arms, alongside a tablet, hard hat, notebook and pen.

Understand the Heidelberg example from December 2022

The city's announcement at that time distinguished the lifting of surrounding closures from the conditions for further construction works. In the individual case described, it required a coordinated clearance plan to be implemented. For your project, its own requirements and evidence are checked. The historical case illustrates the different matters addressed by the respective decisions. Heidelberg is an independent urban district in Baden-Württemberg and belongs to the Karlsruhe administrative district. The explosive ordnance disposal service responsible throughout the state is based at the Stuttgart regional authority. State whether the project lies within Heidelberg or in another municipality. For projects in the Rhine-Neckar area, the local authority responsible is determined from the actual project address. The documents identify the affected construction section, its previous investigations and the specific groundworks remaining. A find affecting a limited area is considered using its own requirements and evidence.

Baden-Württemberg
Local context

Heidelberg's wartime history and further groundworks

Neckar bridges and reconstruction

The City of Heidelberg describes the demolition of the Neckar bridges on 29 March 1945, including the Old Bridge. For this bridge, it gives the start of reconstruction as 14 March 1946 and the inauguration as 26 July 1947. For a current construction area, the documented wartime and reconstruction context is related to its actual location and history of use. For works on bridges, access routes or utilities near the riverbank, existing plans, later alterations and documented ground changes are important to investigation planning. Earlier construction states are compared with the present working area. Fill or buried structural remains are considered where they are recorded in documents for the affected plot. This establishes specific questions for historical research and subsequent investigation.

Read the historical find case with its conditions

On 16 December 2022, the City of Heidelberg reported a bomb found and rendered safe in Bahnstadt the previous day. The surrounding area was accessible again. Construction works, however, were subject to a separate condition: the developer was to prepare and implement a clearance plan agreed with the explosive ordnance disposal service before work could resume. The announcement describes that individual case at the time; it is not a current order for other Heidelberg construction sites.

Prepare the remaining works separately

This distinction matters for subsequent project planning. Dealing with one find does not answer every question about the remaining groundworks. Record the areas affected, documents available and conditions specified by the responsible authorities. FONTANA-EOD helps you coordinate the necessary specialist investigation and documentation services.

Working together

Distinguish the tasks of client, designers and specialist contractor

Client and operator

The project owner describes the proposed work and provides the available project documents. The operator adds requirements for use, access and timing. A coordinating contact makes cooperation easier but does not automatically take on every other party's duties. Before commissioning, record clearly which information is missing, who will obtain it and which decision the result is intended to support.

Planning and construction management

The specialist designers describe areas, depths, construction methods and changes. Site management coordinates the planned sequence with the construction contractors and agreed specialist works. Results are assigned to the respective intervention. A technical plan change is communicated early enough for its effect on the survey task to be assessed before construction. Organisational construction stage boundaries remain distinguishable from technical survey boundaries.

Specialist company and competent bodies

The private explosive ordnance specialist carries out the agreed investigation and documentation scope. Official requirements and decisions are clarified with the competent authorities concerned. The documents needed for a particular procedure depend on the location and project. The technical report describes the specialist service performed; its conclusions are not presented unchecked as general authorisation for further groundworks or as an authority's decision.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

Identify the outstanding question before resuming

The next investigation commission is derived from current knowledge and the ground disturbance remaining. The limits of earlier investigations are also considered. Method selection must suit the task and conditions in the construction area. A general approach is not derived simply from the wish to resume quickly.

Define the specialist services for the remaining ground disturbance

Keep areas not yet completed identifiable

Subareas may need further work despite existing results. Document their spatial boundaries and the reason for the outstanding task. The specialist planner defines the next step required. A result for the find location addressed must not be extended without justification to all further groundworks.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Clarify the remaining scope after a stoppage

Illustration: aerial photographs and maps on two screens and printed on a desk.

Include new findings in the assessment

A new find is considered alongside the previous documents. Specialists must clarify the implications for the remaining ground disturbance. Historical assessment, technical reports and associated plans remain important bases for this. A single event replaces neither spatial identification nor checking the actual investigation scope.

Arrange specialist assessment of historical evidence
Two people with a tablet beside a marked construction area; plans lie in the foreground.

Define the further investigation commission

Show the groundworks still outstanding and the areas or depths affected. This establishes the specialist conclusion required. Local conditions and previous results influence the approach. Reusing an old construction sequence unchanged does not automatically describe the new clarification needed adequately.

Compare specialist services
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Hand over results and conditions together

Site management requires technical evidence and the requirements applicable to the project. Both are related to the forthcoming work step. A technical report records the scope completed and its limits; official decisions retain their separate significance. Outstanding prerequisites are explicitly clarified before further groundworks.

Document findings and their limitations
Preparation

Prepare the scope and commission together

Establish what needs to be known before commissioning the work

For the commission, first establish the decision to be supported. Does the task concern an initial assessment of existing documents, investigation of a specific area or work on a finding already assessed? These tasks require different foundations. A general wish for safety does not yet define an executable investigation scope. The enquiry therefore identifies the ground disturbance, location, depth and knowledge available. Suitable specialist works and the results documents needed are agreed on this basis. Also describe works planned before the main excavation. Utility diversions, temporary access, shoring starting points or preparatory drilling may affect their own volumes of ground. For each area, identify the conclusion needed before work begins. Existing results are compared with these points and depths. The specialist contractor can then agree a defined investigation scope with you.

Define the specialist task

Coordinate preparatory work with the investigation

Necessary access and measurement conditions are clarified before the appointment. These may include areas to be kept clear, available utility information and coordination with other trades. The preparatory works actually needed depend on the selected method and location. Surface alterations or additional ground disturbance are not undertaken independently merely to prepare a measurement. Their sequence is agreed with specialist planners and those responsible. For tendering, existing results and additional specialist works needed are described separately. State the areas or points affected, proposed depths and existing records. The specification also identifies the results documents needed for the next construction section. If individual quantities or access arrangements remain outstanding, these details are clarified before commissioning. The quotation can then refer to a traceable task.

Clarify preparatory work in the programme

Agree a clear scope and schedule

A sound workflow distinguishes work already clarified technically from outstanding prerequisites. If an area will be accessible only in part, commissioning must take this into account. Handover and assessment of results also need time in the construction sequence. An enquiry therefore does not imply a blanket commitment on dates or cost. Specific coordination connects the described scope with access, documents, execution conditions and the date by which a decision is needed.

Assign the outstanding task to a contact and identify the response needed. For a technical question, for example, the investigation scope or data basis is clarified with the specialist planner. If the question concerns a condition in official correspondence, the responsible authority is involved. Those involved record the progress made for the affected section. Site management can base further work preparation on this and provide the necessary documents to the contractors carrying out the work.

Discuss the scope and schedule
Tasks at the site

Prepare specifically for the next work step

01

Record the official requirements in full

Provide existing orders and notices with their connection to the construction site. What matters is which works they affect and the prerequisites specified. A lifted traffic closure cannot be read without review as approval for further earthworks. Unclear statements should be clarified with the responsible authority.

02

Show the remaining ground disturbance on the plan

Mark where work is to continue after the stoppage and the proposed depths. Areas already addressed should be distinguishable from outstanding groundworks. This allows the specialist planner to relate the investigation needed to the actual task rather than merely following the former construction sequence.

03

Read existing reports with their limitations

Earlier investigations can provide important foundations. Check the areas and depths covered and the limitations documented. A new find requires comparison with previous knowledge. The existence of older measurements alone establishes no conclusion for all remaining works.

04

Relate specialist planning to the construction sequence

If additional measures are needed, their place in the subsequent sequence must be clear. Those involved need the same drawing revision and an unambiguous description of outstanding tasks. Merely postponing a date does not remove a technical prerequisite for resuming.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Provide existing orders in full

Pass the correspondence and notices with their appendices to those responsible. Record the area and works to which each statement relates. Unclear conditions are clarified with the responsible authority. A general notice that the surrounding area is accessible again does not automatically answer every question for the construction site. The project file contains an overview of the relevant correspondence, including sender, date, file reference and appendices. Each condition is related to the affected area and activity. Those involved can then refer precisely to the relevant statement when asking a question. If additional documents are supplied later, identify their link to the original matter. Technical results documents retain their own investigation scope and are filed with the associated site plan.

Agree the new construction sequence clearly

If further investigations are needed, include them and their prerequisites in the sequence. Identify affected areas, documents required and those responsible. Changes are kept in a common drawing revision. Merely postponing the construction start does not establish the missing technical prerequisite. The report and plan appendices document methods, areas addressed, depths, specialist assessment and limits of conclusions. Where clearance works are commissioned, the clearance record and associated location and results details belong in the evidence file. Outstanding tasks are assigned to the respective construction section. Site management passes the current version and appendices to subsequent contractors. A change must identify the conclusion affected and drawing revision now in use. Technical prerequisites and any decisions required are brought together for the next groundworks.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Assemble the case documents before specialist coordination

Provide existing reports, new findings and official correspondence together. Add the current plan showing the groundworks still proposed. This allows the additions needed to be defined specifically. Completed tasks remain distinguishable from outstanding decisions in the subsequent sequence. For work resuming in sections, record the areas needed first. Identify access, ongoing traffic, occupied working areas and the preparatory works necessary for an investigation. The specialist contractor agrees with site management when each section is accessible. The programme accounts for execution followed by analysis and handover of results. Changes to working areas are communicated before the affected ground disturbance. This gives those involved a common basis for preparing their next activity.

Coordinate the construction phase with us

Bring the information together before the next ground disturbance

Check whether the results and decisions needed for this work step are available. Changed areas or depths are compared again. Site management receives the associated documents in full. A previously documented investigation area retains its scope; subsequent approval of a work date does not extend its technical scope. For a handover between several contractors, the necessary documents are assembled by section. A contractor receives the report and plans for its own working area, including the limits documented there. Also identify subsequent activities, such as additional drilling points, utility crossings or extended shoring. The specialist planner compares this ground disturbance with the existing result. If additional work is needed, its scope and prerequisites are agreed before the affected groundworks. The current progress is passed to everyone responsible.

Coordinate the construction phase with us
Method selection

Select methods according to the task and survey conditions

Historical records and aerial photographs

Historical aerial photograph assessment and other old records help place the basis for suspicion in its spatial context. The available images, their evidential value and the limits of the area considered matter. The absence of an identifiable indication must be distinguished from a technically surveyed ground area. The assessment is considered together with the planned intervention and other available findings. It can support the choice of a survey, but is not a measurement of the present-day subsurface or confirmation for all future works.

Understand aerial photograph assessment

Magnetometric survey

Magnetometric methods detect magnetic anomalies. Whether they can address the specific survey task depends, among other things, on the expected objects, ground conditions, interference and required survey area. Fences, utilities or existing structures may affect interpretation. A measurement signal is therefore not described as ordnance solely because of its strength. Method, interpretation and any further investigation are planned as a connected specialist task.

Understand the scope of magnetometry

Electromagnetic methods

Electromagnetic investigations can be suitable for particular metallic targets and site conditions. Their suitability must be explained for the task, rather than inferred simply from the availability of equipment. Interfering installations, accessible areas and the findings required must also be considered. Results are documented with their location and survey conditions. The specialist assessment determines whether a supplementary method is needed; this remains a project-specific decision.

Understand electromagnetic surveying

Ground-penetrating radar

Under suitable conditions, ground-penetrating radar can provide information about subsurface structures and reflections. Ground conditions, moisture, installations and the particular survey task affect interpretability. An anomaly is not automatically ordnance, and an area with no apparent anomalies is not general evidence for arbitrary depths. The specialist interpretation and its limits are documented with the instruction. A survey for another purpose is not adopted without checking as ordnance evidence.

GPR and limitations

Deep-ground and downhole surveys

For deeper groundworks, it may be necessary to establish whether a surface investigation can provide the required findings or another approach is needed. Preparation includes the location, depth, borehole layout and existing services. Creating access for the investigation must also be properly planned by specialists. A general depth figure or standard grid cannot replace that work. Findings remain limited to the areas actually investigated and the method used.

Prepare deep interventions

Survey during construction

If a necessary preliminary investigation cannot be completed, the specialists assess whether a planned approach during construction is suitable. This includes coordinated investigation, interpretation and communication of findings within the intended work sequence. Visual observation of excavated material is not an interchangeable substitute for a necessary survey. Site management needs a clear description of when specialist work will take place, how new findings will be handled and which areas remain unresolved.

Agree the approach during construction
Technical assessment

What the further investigation should answer

Review the knowledge available after the find

The Historical aerial photograph analysis and earlier reports must be considered together with the newly available information. Specialists assess the implications. A single find does not support a general conclusion about all areas in Heidelberg; equally, dealing with it does not rule out further questions in the affected construction area.

Define suitable methods for the outstanding areas

Additional Surveying needs a defined investigation objective. Measurement conditions, structural obstacles and existing results influence the approach. The method must suit the planned ground disturbance and questions to be clarified. Investigation limits must be documented and must not disappear in a later handover.

Plan the necessary measures clearly

A Clearance plan may describe the further investigation and clearance needed for the project. Specialist planning, execution and official decisions must remain distinct. Merely observing excavation does not replace a proper specialist investigation. The specific technical task determines whether explosive ordnance clearance during construction is suitable, rather than the wish to resume quickly.

Next steps

A reliable handover to site management

01

Compare the project enquiry with existing documents

The first project discussion describes the address, construction section and forthcoming groundworks. Show areas, drilling points and ground disturbance depths in a common site plan. Existing information, investigation reports and official correspondence are checked for drawing revision, spatial coverage and outstanding questions. New findings are related to the previous stage of progress. The specialist planner determines the conclusion needed before the next ground disturbance and the information still missing for it. Agreed tasks and contacts are recorded for further coordination.

02

Establish historical foundations and methods

Where existing records do not yet answer the current question, the necessary historical research or aerial photograph assessment is carried out for the specific construction area. Results are located spatially and linked to the present design. The specialist planner uses this to define the suitable investigation method and scope of work. Ground structure, installed structures, interference and proposed depths are considered. The specialist contractor and site management clarify access, necessary preparatory works and the prerequisites for each section. Existing official conditions are included in this preparation.

03

Carry out the investigation and assess findings

Specialist personnel carry out the commissioned survey or supervision for the defined task. Measurement data, findings and actual investigation conditions achieved are recorded with location and depth references. Deviations, areas of interference and sections not yet addressed remain identifiable. The specialist planner assesses the data gained against the investigation objective and local conditions. This establishes further work steps or the handover of results required. If a suspicious object is encountered, work stops and the responsible emergency services are notified.

04

Document the scope addressed

The results report should show the areas actually investigated. Its description must refer to a traceable site plan and the depths considered. A general letter referring to the site address cannot replace this spatial identification.

05

Identify measures still outstanding

If a subarea has not been fully assessed, include this in the handover. Describe the task still to be completed there and the resulting limitation for planning. Site management should not have to piece together outstanding questions from scattered appendices.

06

Bring results and official conditions together

A specialist report and the requirements of the responsible authority serve different purposes. Both must be available and related to the specific project before further works. FONTANA-EOD provides the agreed specialist services; this does not confer official authority to lift an order.

07

Coordinate further design changes again

Even after arrangements for resuming have been clarified, the area or depth of later ground disturbance may change. Submit such changes for specialist review before work begins. Existing evidence remains usable within its documented scope but does not automatically extend to the new working area.

Documentation

Responsible authorities and agreed services

Findings and their scope

Heidelberg provides a procedural description for commissioning the explosive ordnance disposal service. The city explains that this content is taken from the state service portal. Official state information lists aerial photograph assessment, render-safe operations, transport and destruction as duties of the explosive ordnance disposal service at the Stuttgart regional authority; private contractors can be commissioned to search for and expose explosive ordnance.

Project responsibilities

The specific services you need depend on existing findings, planned ground disturbance and relevant requirements. Include existing orders and measures already agreed in your enquiry. The BFR KMR guidelines are used here as technical planning guidance; their direct scope is federal.

Working approach

How FONTANA-EOD works

Document the agreed specialist service clearly

We assess the planned groundworks against the available documents and their design revision. Before attending site, we agree with you what needs to be investigated, which areas are accessible and what findings are required. If the design or site conditions change, we check whether the agreed scope remains appropriate. The report states what was actually investigated and the limits of the findings. This allows designers and site management to see which findings they can use and where questions remain.

Discuss the investigation task

The task before the equipment

We first establish the investigation objective: which question must it answer? We then select a technically suitable method. The availability of a particular device or experience on a similar neighbouring site is not enough to justify the choice of method on its own.

Keep limitations visible

Inaccessible areas and limited conclusions are identified. They do not disappear into a total area figure. Designers and site management can then decide specifically which areas still need attention and when a suitable survey becomes possible.

Clarify changes before intervening in the ground

A new location, additional depth or different construction method is compared with previous results. A familiar project name does not replace this comparison. Feedback is provided before the affected work so that an outstanding question can be included in the sequence.

Hand over the report and plan together

The technical conclusion remains connected to its location references and appendices. A brief summary helps orientation but does not replace the documented survey scope. This basis is retained even if site management or contractors change.

Understand the results

Use technical statements for the next decision

Relate decisions to the matters they address

A measure for public traffic may have different prerequisites from resuming earthworks. Read which area, activity and condition a letter actually names. Specialist project coordination brings the relevant information together. It does not pre-empt an outstanding official decision.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

Continue using earlier results in a traceable way

New findings do not make existing reports meaningless. Their scope must, however, be compared with current needs. Retain original appendices and drawing revisions. Additional investigations receive their own spatial reference so site management can trace the overall position for the next works.

Understand the service scope
Design and findings

Documents for the next construction decision

Illustration: aerial photographs and maps on two screens and printed on a desk.

Historical evidence and the current design

Aerial photograph interpretation is related to the actual groundworks. Its purpose and geographical scope remain distinct from a technical investigation of the ground as it is today.

Understand aerial photograph assessment
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Specialist reports for site management

The findings, their locations and limitations are handed over together. This makes clear to those carrying out the work which area has been investigated and which task remains outstanding.

Assess investigation reports
Person wearing an orange high-visibility vest on a marked construction area with small piles of soil
Person wearing an orange high-visibility vest with a MALÅ survey cart on grass
Questions from planning

Questions about resuming construction in Heidelberg

Does lifting a surrounding closure mean construction work can continue?

This must be clarified separately. Traffic or evacuation closures and conditions for further construction works may address different matters. Check the specific official requirements and necessary technical evidence.

Does Heidelberg's announcement from December 2022 apply to my current project?

The announcement describes a find in Bahnstadt at that time. It creates no current order for your plot. The documents and decisions concerning your own construction project are decisive.

Can earlier investigation reports still be used after a new find?

They remain part of the foundations. Their scope must be compared with the new knowledge and remaining ground disturbance. Whether and where additional measures are needed requires specialist assessment.

Can FONTANA-EOD lift an official construction stoppage?

No. The agreed investigation and documentation services can support further clarification. Official decisions remain with the responsible authorities; the scope of commissioned specialist services is agreed separately.

What must I do if another possible find is encountered?

Stop work, do not touch or move the object, and keep others away. Call the police on 110 from a safe distance. Follow the instructions of the responsible emergency personnel.

Which documents are particularly important after a stoppage?

Existing investigation reports, new findings, official correspondence and the current plan of remaining groundworks.

Can postponing a date replace a missing investigation?

No. The technical prerequisites must actually be addressed and documented with their results.

How are results brought together, and what determines the work involved and costs?

Each report retains its investigation scope and plan reference. The specialist planner relates its conclusions to forthcoming ground disturbance. Area size or number of points, depth, available documents, access, interference and proposed methods determine the work involved. Necessary preparatory works, phased visits and results documents required are also agreed. The enquiry identifies the next construction work to prepare for and the prerequisites still outstanding.

Project enquiry

Prepare the first technical discussion

Send the complete case documents

Enclose reports and official requirements with their appendices. Need specialist preparation for further groundworks in Heidelberg? Send us the existing reports, current site plan and any official requirements. Identify the works still outstanding and questions open before they begin.

Show the further works

Identify outstanding areas, depths and the next construction work. Also state which earthworks are to begin first and which areas are not yet accessible. Necessary preparatory works and the handover of results can then be coordinated in good time.

Project enquiry

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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