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

Explosive ordnance surveying in Karlsruhe

Planning drilling for an explosive ordnance investigation on your Karlsruhe project? As well as the investigation objective, the prerequisites for this ground disturbance must be clarified. These may include groundwater protection requirements. FONTANA-EOD agrees with you which areas are to be investigated and what information is still needed. For excavations, underground car parks, utility crossings and works on existing transport routes, investigation needs are related to the forthcoming ground disturbance. The enquiry may concern individual starting points or a larger construction section. Existing results are therefore compared with the present design and working space required.

Investigation objective

State the investigation area and planned depths.

Prerequisites

Clarify groundwater data and necessary coordination.

Responsibility

Check investigation results and permits separately.

Coordinate planned drilling and investigationExplosive ordnance assessment in Baden-Württemberg
Assess the construction project

What needs to be clarified before drilling in Karlsruhe?

The proposed drilling point, depth and purpose of ground disturbance are compared with existing explosive ordnance documents. Also establish whether water law requirements are affected. Each task needs its own evidence, and both are coordinated within the project sequence before work begins.

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.

Use Karlsruhe's water information in the project

The City of Karlsruhe explains possible uses of groundwater and provides specialist information on its water webpage. For a specific project, the relevant requirements are established from the actual ground disturbance. Explosive ordnance assessment remains a separate task. Both matters are coordinated with those responsible so that the necessary information is available before groundworks. Karlsruhe is an independent urban district in Baden-Württemberg. State the specific project location, such as Innenstadt or the centre, Weststadt, Südstadt, Oststadt, Durlach, Mühlburg, Knielingen, Rintheim or Neureut. Enquiries from Ettlingen, Rheinstetten, Stutensee, Bruchsal and Rastatt, and the Middle Upper Rhine region, are also assigned to the actual municipality. These surrounding places are independent municipalities; contacts and existing conclusions are determined according to the respective project location. For Karlsruhe, the city's water information forms part of preparation where groundwater matters are affected. Statewide KMBD duties are based at the Stuttgart regional authority.

For regional information relevant to your construction project, the Karlsruhe administrative district overview leads to further local information.

Baden-Württemberg
Local context

Karlsruhe's wartime history and present drilling plans

Aerial warfare, railway facilities and later ground changes

The city encyclopaedia of Karlsruhe City Archive identifies military offices, the Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabrik and the railway junction as targets during the First World War. For the night of 2–3 September 1942, it describes damage to businesses in the Rhine port, Mühlburg and Westendstraße. For 1944, it mentions Rintheim and Grötzingen, among other places, and heavy raids in September and December. For current projects, this historical information is related to the actual plot location, former production, storage and logistics uses, and existing records and aerial photographs. For station, track and freight areas, bridges and underpasses, earlier ground disturbance is also considered. Reconstruction, fill, buried rubble layers and later utility modernisation belong in local research where documented for the construction area. The findings support planning of the investigation required.

Clarify water law questions using the specific ground disturbance

On its water webpage, the City of Karlsruhe lists drilling and excavation enclosures as possible groundwater uses alongside groundwater abstraction. It provides information and guidance sheets on these matters. The water law requirements affecting a particular project must be clarified with the responsible authority using the specific ground disturbance; not every explosive ordnance survey automatically constitutes groundwater use.

Provide separate evidence for both technical tasks

Water law and explosive ordnance investigation address different matters. A water law permit is not an explosive ordnance investigation result. Conversely, a technical report does not by itself authorise drilling or dewatering relevant to water law. Both explosive ordnance requirements and any water law requirements must therefore be clarified before the respective ground disturbance.

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 contractor addresses the agreed investigation and documentation scope. Official requirements and decisions are clarified with the respective responsible authorities. Documents needed for a specific procedure depend on the site and project. The technical report describes the specialist services carried out; its conclusions are not presented without review as general approval for further groundworks or as an official decision. Coordination distinguishes commissioned technical works from state handling of an actual find. The Baden-Württemberg KMBD at the Stuttgart regional authority is responsible throughout the state. Those responsible for the project clarify the next steps needed with the specialist contractor and relevant authorities.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

Distinguish the drilling purpose from the investigation question

Describe whether a point serves geotechnical investigation, a foundation or a proposed technical investigation. Then establish the explosive ordnance question to be answered before ground disturbance. Existing reports and the current construction design provide the basis. The name of a drilling service alone does not provide evidence for its proposed location and depth.

Choose the specialist service that fits the investigation objective

Account for limits before work begins

Utilities, metal structures and restricted access may affect the approach at a point. The specialist planner describes suitable methods and remaining limits. If the necessary conclusion cannot initially be reached, the next steps are agreed. Outstanding areas remain identifiable in the report and are not treated as already investigated.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Coordinate drilling plans and the investigation commission

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

Describe the drilling point unambiguously

Specialist assessment requires the drilling location, proposed depth and purpose. Add the documents currently available and identifiable changes from earlier designs. A place name alone is insufficient for this reference. Preparatory ground disturbance and the working area actually needed are also considered in planning.

Document findings and their limitations
Two people with a tablet beside a marked construction area; plans lie in the foreground.

Choose an investigation suited to the task

Drilling may itself form part of an investigation or be later ground disturbance for another purpose. These tasks are described separately. Method selection considers existing knowledge and conditions at the point. A desired final depth alone does not establish the technically suitable approach or its limits.

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

Relate results to the correct ground disturbance

The report identifies the scope investigated and associated conditions. For the further drilling planned, check whether this conclusion applies spatially and technically. A moved point does not automatically receive the same assessment. Changes are agreed with specialist planners before work begins and recorded traceably in subsequent documents.

Document findings and their limitations
Preparation

Prepare the scope and commission together

Establish what needs to be known before commissioning the work

First establish which decision the commission needs to support. Is the task an initial assessment of existing documents, an investigation of a specific area or examination of an anomaly that has already been assessed? These tasks require different evidence. A general wish for safety does not define an investigation that can be carried out. The enquiry therefore specifies the groundworks, location, depth and available findings. Suitable specialist work and the required reporting are then agreed on that basis.

Also describe whether the project concerns municipal road or sewer construction, utility modernisation, neighbourhood development or conversion of older industrial or commercial land. For urban infill sites and routes, existing development, networks and access are considered together with the planned depth. Production, storage and logistics uses are located using available documents. A larger section may involve different tasks: historical preliminary investigation, suitable surface or deep-ground investigation, defined investigation during construction and, where applicable, further examination of findings. Any necessary area clearance or explosive ordnance recovery receives an explicitly defined service scope. The commission identifies the groundworks due first and the conclusions needed for them.

Define the specialist task

Coordinate preparatory work with the investigation

Required access and survey conditions are clarified before the site visit. This may include keeping areas clear, obtaining service information and coordinating with other trades. The method and site determine which preparations are actually needed. Changes to the surface or additional groundworks are not undertaken unilaterally simply to prepare for a survey. Their sequence is agreed with the specialist designers and responsible parties.

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.

Discuss the scope and schedule
Tasks at the site

Prepare drilling points, depths and groundwater data

01

Construction works and planned drilling

Describe the conclusion needed on explosive ordnance and the groundworks planned later. Any drilling for investigation must additionally be recorded as separate ground disturbance. It must be included in preparation even if it takes place before construction itself starts.

02

Source and scope of groundwater data

Provide existing groundwater information and its sources. The City of Karlsruhe refers to the Civil Engineering Office for groundwater levels and information from the groundwater register. Such information requires project-specific assessment; general city information cannot establish a reliable water level at every drilling point.

03

Location and depth of each borehole

Where drilling is proposed, its location, depth and intended purpose must be clear. Outstanding details should be clarified with the specialists responsible. A uniform standard depth for all plots is insufficient both for investigation planning and for assessing possible water law requirements.

04

Clarify responsibilities and applications

Record who provides technical information and who handles any necessary applications or approvals. Check whether the applications and approvals cover the intended scope of work. Repeat this comparison if drilling locations or depths change.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Gather requirements before scheduling

Assemble existing statements, permits and technical documents. Record which prerequisite applies to each ground disturbance and who clarifies it. Scheduling accounts for these dependencies. Scheduled equipment work replaces neither missing evidence nor coordination of an unresolved technical question. Alongside the drilling point's location and depth, describe the working areas, access and preparatory ground disturbance required. Evidence for the starting point does not automatically cover additional ground disturbance outside its documented investigation scope. The results file contains the report and plan appendices, including methods, measurement conditions, assessed findings and remaining limits of conclusions. For commissioned clearance works, include the clearance record with location and results details. At handover, the spaces described in the report are compared with the next groundworks. Outstanding tasks and the associated drawing revision are passed to subsequent participants.

Consider the construction area and dewatering together

If dewatering or an activity affecting groundwater is proposed, include it in the project description. The specialist planner responsible clarifies the respective requirements. Location, depth and investigation conditions remain decisive for the explosive ordnance investigation. Results of both tasks are brought together in the construction sequence without mixing their different purposes.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Show the entire ground disturbance before enquiring

Send the site plan with the points and associated depths. Identify the purpose and proposed preparatory works. Enclose existing explosive ordnance documents and relevant water law information with their appendices. This establishes which task must be addressed first and which coordination can proceed in parallel.

An enquiry concerning several boreholes may be divided into separate work sections. Give each point an unambiguous reference, the current site plan and proposed depth reference. Also describe site access routes, equipment standing areas and preparatory ground disturbance needed. Designers and the specialist contractor can then connect the conclusions needed first with the available information.

The programme considers investigation, analysis and subsequent groundworks separately. If water law coordination remains outstanding, record the ground disturbance it concerns and who provides the necessary information. Technically clarified sections remain distinguishable from outstanding tasks. This gives site management a traceable status for coordinating the trades involved; a design change is passed on with its point reference and changed scope of work.

Coordinate the construction phase with us

Compare again before moving a point

A changed drilling point is compared with the documented investigation scope. Its new location and depth should be unambiguous in the design. Also clarify whether the change affects other requirements. Execution then uses a common current drawing revision and the evidence applicable to this ground disturbance.

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 needs clarification before deep-ground investigation

Investigation needs at depth

A Deep-ground survey or borehole survey may be considered where appropriate to the task. Selection follows from the knowledge available, investigation objective and site conditions. It is not a general requirement for every construction project in Karlsruhe; equally, a near-surface result does not support conclusions to any arbitrary depth.

Clarify prerequisites before drilling works

Planning includes existing installed structures, access and constraints relevant to drilling. Explosive ordnance requirements for the proposed ground disturbance itself must be properly considered. Involve the responsible authorities where groundwater matters are affected. A general method description does not replace this comparison for the specific site.

Suitability of investigation during construction

If ordnance surveying during construction is being considered, its suitability and investigation sequence must be defined. The DGUV expressly distinguishes it from merely watching the excavator's work. Requirements of other disciplines also remain during investigation alongside construction. Missing project information must be clarified before work begins.

Next steps

From planning documents to an agreed investigation

01

Describe the project enquiry and ground disturbance

Describe construction-related ground disturbance and the investigation needed separately. For the first project discussion, provide the address in Karlsruhe or the actual surrounding municipality, construction phase and next groundworks. A common drawing revision must show drilling starting points, working areas and depths. This establishes the conclusion needed before each ground disturbance and the specialists to involve.

02

Compare existing documents on a technical basis

Assign site plans, known groundwater data and earlier results. Existing explosive ordnance information, assessments and specialist reports are checked for drawing revision, area and depth coverage, and outstanding questions. Groundwater data receives an identifiable source and time reference. Specialist planners clarify whether the documents apply to the present location and drilling purpose and where additions are needed.

03

Investigate outstanding historical information

If existing information for the construction area is insufficient, the necessary historical research or aerial photograph assessment is carried out. Historical maps, available records and wartime aerial photographs are related to the present drilling and working areas. References to railway facilities, former industrial and storage uses or documented ground changes are located spatially. The findings inform decisions on investigation needs and methods; adequate existing knowledge continues to be used.

04

Coordinate drilling plans, methods and execution

Record the specialists involved and any coordination required. The suitable investigation method is defined from the findings and planned ground disturbance. The specialist contractor, site management and, where applicable, those responsible for water law agree access, preparatory works and prerequisites. Specialist personnel carry out the commissioned investigation and record data and findings with location, scope addressed and conditions actually achieved. Deviations from the planned sequence undergo specialist clarification before changed execution.

05

Assess recorded results for drilling planning

The recorded data and findings undergo specialist assessment against the investigation objective, method used and interference. The assessment describes the scope of conclusions actually achieved for the proposed points or volumes of ground. An anomalous measurement is assessed further; it does not by itself identify a particular object. Outstanding investigation areas and further steps required remain identifiable for subsequent drilling or construction planning.

06

Coordinate the assessed report with the next works

Pass investigation results and further requirements to site management. The report and site plans document the specialist assessment with the points, areas and depths addressed and identifiable limits. Site management relates the forthcoming ground disturbance to this conclusion. For moved points, additional shoring or changed working space, clarify before the affected works whether further investigation or renewed specialist or official coordination is needed.

Documentation

Investigation report and water law requirements

Findings and their scope

The results documents must identify the areas, volumes of ground and methods covered by the explosive ordnance investigation. Requirements from other disciplines should remain separately identifiable in the project records. Site management needs both the technical scope of the investigation's conclusions and the prerequisites relevant to its proposed further works.

Project responsibilities

The Baden-Württemberg KMBD has statewide explosive ordnance disposal duties. The water authority decides water law questions within its remit. FONTANA-EOD assumes no official powers through its technical investigation. If the project changes, compare both the existing technical conclusion and any affected official requirements again.

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

Read a permit according to its purpose

A water law decision concerns its identified subject and conditions. It does not replace an investigation report addressing explosive ordnance. Conversely, an explosive ordnance report does not answer an outstanding water law requirement. Site management therefore benefits from unambiguous document references: which ground disturbance, which purpose and which prerequisite still to be met.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

Retain point references through to handover

Location and depth must match traceably between enquiry, commission and result. Changes receive an identifiable drawing revision. Site management can then compare the proposed ground disturbance with the scope actually addressed. A result for individual points is not extended to the entire excavation area without technical justification.

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 investigation and groundwater in Karlsruhe

Does every explosive ordnance survey require a water law permit?

This cannot be established generally from the term surveying. What matters is the actual ground disturbance and any effect on groundwater. The City of Karlsruhe provides information on relevant uses and application documents; requirements for the specific case must be clarified with the responsible authority.

Where can I find existing groundwater information?

The City of Karlsruhe refers to the Civil Engineering Office for groundwater levels and information from the groundwater register. When using the data, identify its source, spatial reference and date. Whether it suffices for the planned works requires specialist review.

Can proposed drilling be carried out without further preparation?

No. Calling it an investigation does not establish general approval to proceed. Technical and, where applicable, official prerequisites must suit the proposed ground disturbance. This includes clarifying explosive ordnance requirements for the planned groundworks themselves.

Does a water law permit mean that no explosive ordnance is present?

No. It addresses a different matter. Explosive ordnance findings and their spatial limits must be established through the documents and investigations intended for that purpose. Conversely, an explosive ordnance report does not replace a necessary water law permit.

Which documents help coordination with FONTANA-EOD?

Send the site plan, planned ground disturbance and depths, and existing explosive ordnance documents. Add known groundwater data, proposed drilling works and project-specific coordination already completed. This helps identify missing information and separate responsibilities early.

What should I do if I find possible ordnance?

Stop the affected works, leave the object untouched and keep your distance. Notify the police on 110. Warn others without putting yourself at risk and follow police instructions.

Can a drilling point be moved anywhere after investigation?

A new location must be compared with the documented investigation scope. Specialists determine the further step required.

Which details determine the work involved, costs and schedule for a drilling enquiry?

Location, depth and purpose, existing knowledge, planned preparatory works, and relevant project conditions and documents. The work involved depends on the number of points or area, depth, available records, access, installed structures and proposed methods. Necessary preparatory works and results documents are also agreed. Scheduling considers outstanding technical and, where applicable, water law prerequisites and the sequence of ground disturbance. FONTANA-EOD can agree the service scope needed with you on this basis.

Project enquiry

Discuss drilling plans and existing documents

Assign points and depths

Send the site plan, drilling purpose and proposed ground disturbance together. Provide the planned groundworks with location and depth, and existing knowledge about the investigation area. State whether drilling or other groundwater-relevant works are proposed and whether coordination has already taken place. FONTANA-EOD clarifies the explosive ordnance investigation and the information needed for its preparation with you.

Enclose requirements

Send existing explosive ordnance documents and relevant water law information. Also state which earthworks are to start first and which areas remain inaccessible. 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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