Project pathway
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A project beside a watercourse may include an onshore excavation, access road, bank reinforcement or work in the water. FONTANA-EOD clarifies with project owners, designers and site managers in the Tübingen administrative district which explosive ordnance commission can be undertaken for the proposed onshore works. Send the site plan with working areas marked separately, depths, reference elevations and existing investigation reports.
Distinguish onshore ground disturbance from work in water.
Describe planned base levels and terrain changes.
Agree the investigation scope and limitations explicitly.
For an explosive ordnance investigation before construction in the Tübingen administrative district, onshore ground disturbance and work in water are described separately. Add planned base levels, reference elevations and changes to the working level. Existing reports are compared with these details to determine further investigation needs by specialist review. The proposed commission identifies the area addressed and its limitations; tasks in water are clarified separately.
Documented location references
Select a project location on the map or in the location list. The associated entries lead to the protected reference overview.
The markers identify locations associated with documented references, not precise find or construction-site coordinates. Several entries may belong to one project. References without a reliable location assignment are available in the complete reference overview.
Map data: © BKG (2026), VG250 / GN250, Data licence Germany – attribution 2.0. Area outline projected for display. Selection and project assignment: FONTANA-EOD.
Explosive ordnance survey – Metzingen – Reutlingen – RSBNA rail infrastructure – line 4600 Metzingen – Reutlingen
Service period: 2026-06
Service areas:Surface surveys: GPR, TDEM and magnetometryMethod used in this project: Ground-penetrating radar

The Donau–Iller and Neckar–Bodensee units describe different areas and water-management duties. The specific ground disturbance remains decisive for explosive ordnance investigation. Relevant requirements are brought together with existing documents; responsibility for a watercourse does not provide an investigation result for a construction area. The Tübingen administrative district in Baden-Württemberg comprises eight rural districts and the Ulm urban district. Identify the municipality, cadastral plots and working areas affected. The responsible municipal and other specialist bodies are involved for this project location. The Neckar–Bodensee water-management unit names its area as the Zollernalbkreis district, the Tübingen, Reutlingen and Ravensburg districts, and Bodenseekreis. This geographical division describes water-management duties; the KMBD at the Stuttgart regional authority is responsible statewide. Further locations and areas are available in the regional overview.
Information on explosive ordnance surveying in Friedrichshafen and Ravensburg supports preparation of your project enquiry. Documents and planned ground disturbance on the respective property are decisive.
The Tübingen regional authority has separate water-management units for Donau–Iller and Neckar–Bodensee. The Donau–Iller unit describes, among other duties, development, maintenance and flood protection on its assigned Category I watercourses. Its area comprises the Sigmaringen, Biberach and Alb-Donau districts and the Ulm urban district.
Local wartime impacts differ within the administrative district too. The Reutlingen City Archive's exhibition about the end of the war documents the air raid of 1 March 1945 with destruction of the town hall and station. The City Archive's holdings also show the loss of municipal records and the importance of building department files preserved elsewhere. Such sources and available aerial photographs are brought together for the history of the respective property. For bank works, the specific area is considered together with its former use and later ground changes. The historical town-wide context alone does not provide a conclusion about a particular present-day bank section or its investigation status.
These water-management duties are distinct from explosive ordnance disposal. The statewide service is based at the Stuttgart regional authority. Which water-law or other technical requirements apply to an individual project must be clarified with the respective responsible bodies.
The explosive ordnance enquiry depends on actual ground disturbance. A location beside the Danube, Neckar or Lake Constance does not establish blanket contamination. Equally, an investigation method for dry land cannot be transferred to an area in water without review. The limitations of the proposed commission are therefore recorded before commissioning.
For the commissioned work, the applicable technical requirements, permits, competence and responsibilities are clarified. The actual scope of work is what matters. Tasks and interfaces are described for the project and checked against the required authorisations.
The risk assessment, work areas and communication arrangements must suit the planned activities. Specialist explosive ordnance work is coordinated with the other construction activities. Site organisation, traffic safety and other technical assessments retain their own responsible parties. Joint coordination assigns the relevant specialist work and responsibilities to the affected construction sections.
A measurement anomaly first requires specialist assessment; its appearance alone does not identify it as explosive ordnance. If an object is genuinely suspected to be ordnance, the prescribed reporting procedures and the measures set by the responsible authorities apply. Investigation reports specify the work completed and its limitations, so that results are not extended to unexamined areas or later design changes.
The Donau–Iller unit describes its water-management duties for the watercourses assigned to it. The Neckar–Bodensee unit looks after its assigned watercourses in the other sub-area. For a project, these duties are coordinated with the construction sequence; the explosive ordnance investigation receives its own area, depth and scope of services.
The BFR KMR guidelines on clearance planning connect the investigation task with the subsequent sequence. The guidance on geophysics supports method selection, while that on Documentation supports a traceable handover of results. The Baden-Württemberg state information describes the state's duties. The DGUV FAQs on explosive ordnance clearance explain occupational safety and suitability of the working method.
The BFR KMR are used as technical guidance; locally applicable requirements and responsibilities must be clarified separately.
Permits, competence and responsibility for the specific activity are considered under the Explosives Act and the First Ordinance to the Explosives Act. The risk assessment under Section 5 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act relates to the planned activities. The DGUV Information 201-027 covers preventive investigation and clearance of conventional explosive ordnance and defines its scope. Its references to DGUV Rule 113-003 concern particular activities involving explosives; they are not applied indiscriminately to every construction-site investigation.
The client describes the project and provides the available project records. The operator adds requirements for use, access and timing. A coordinating contact brings the parties together; individual tasks remain assigned to the named parties. Before commissioning, it is clearly recorded what information is missing, who will obtain it and what decision the result is intended to prepare.
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.
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 with its documented area, depth and service scope.
Selection considers the investigation objective, depth of ground disturbance and local conditions. Planning takes account of surfaces, access and known installations. Wet or temporarily flooded areas are identified separately. A method for a dry area is not transferred to a different working condition without review.
For the Surveying, target objects, the soil profile, interfering objects and investigation depth required are considered. Existing utilities, reinforcement and fill containing metal may affect measurement interpretation. Actual working conditions are considered separately for wet or temporarily flooded areas. A method chosen for a construction area accessible in dry conditions can therefore be applied elsewhere only after reviewing the changed conditions. Measurement limitations, locations with restricted interpretation and inaccessible areas remain identifiable in the specialist assessment and associated location appendices. Further needs are coordinated with the planned ground disturbance.
Select suitable methods for the defined working areaIdentify which onshore works are the subject of the enquiry. Tasks in water remain clearly separate and must be clarified separately. Results documents likewise relate only to the scope agreed and actually addressed. This keeps it traceable which conclusion is available for the next ground disturbance.
Compare investigation methods
Hand over existing assessments and investigation reports, including maps. Their relation to the present ground disturbance must be traceable. Even along a continuous bank, earlier commissions may have covered only certain areas. A conclusion for a neighbouring section is therefore considered within the scope actually documented.
For a property, older cadastral records, building files and as-built plans may help identify former boundaries or uses. Historical research and aerial photograph analysis address the questions outstanding for the project. If the bank alignment has changed, earlier and present-day positions are compared using available documents. Known filling, ground excavation or later structures are considered in this comparison. An old investigation retains its documented area and purpose. For subsequent works, establish which usable findings are already available and what further clarification the volumes of ground actually affected need.
Assign earlier results spatially and technically
Draw excavations, connecting utilities and preparatory areas with their depths. Mark areas whose planned working conditions remain unclear. The specialist review considers the actual prerequisites for the ground disturbance. A general waterside location identifies neither a suitable method nor an already established investigation need.
Describe the planned construction condition for each area. An onshore excavation, a temporarily wet working space and disturbance of the watercourse bed are different tasks. The enquiry states which conditions are expected during the proposed investigation and which changes remain possible. A plan with separate areas makes this assignment easier. For a new working level, also show how it will be created and which preparatory groundworks are forthcoming for it. Specialists clarify outstanding conditions before a service agreement.
Compare specialist services
The report should identify the surface or elevation from which investigation took place and what limitations apply. These details are compared with the next work. Later ground excavation may require a renewed specialist comparison. The original reference elevation therefore remains traceable after handover.
Document findings and their limitationsFirst 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.
Define the specialist taskRequired 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 programmeA 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. Dates and the work involved are agreed after clarifying scope, access and required prerequisites. For the section concerned, establish which documents must be available before work starts and who hands the results to the contractor.
Discuss the scope and scheduleMark on the plan where the works will take place. Distinguish an onshore excavation from ground disturbance in the watercourse bed or flooded areas. If the planned working conditions may still change, identify this uncertainty rather than assuming permanently dry conditions.
Include planned excavation depths and the elevation reference used. A description such as two metres deep is not always clear without a reference point. Where terrain changes are proposed, it must remain clear from which surface a depth is measured.
Provide the ground surface used and planned base level within a traceable reference system. If a bank slope is reshaped or ground removed before investigation, identify the relevant construction condition. For deeper foundations or boreholes, the volume of ground to be affected must be identifiable. Borehole clearance is described with its point location and documented depth range. Any necessary deep surveying receives a defined investigation task. Comparison of results and construction design considers these details before findings are used for subsequent ground disturbance.
Pits, utilities or surfacing may be planned away from the main structure too. Describe the ground disturbance there separately. Including an area in the site plan alone does not establish which technical investigation it requires.
Besides the structure, utility trenches, working spaces, drainage pipes or new foundations for temporary structures may be proposed. Ground excavation to create access is also identified by location and depth. Simply including an area in the site establishment plan does not, by contrast, describe ground disturbance. Specialist planners and site management therefore distinguish use of an area from the earthworks needed for it. The investigation commission is defined on this basis. Connection works added later are compared with earlier reports and outstanding areas before construction.
Hand over earlier explosive ordnance documents with their results plans. Check with the specialist planner whether the area and elevation reference match the current project. A report for a neighbouring section does not automatically provide a conclusion for the area now affected.
Plans may use base levels, ground surfaces or relative depths. Clearly identify the respective reference and mark details still outstanding. Those involved can then assess whether the investigation and construction task concern the same volume of ground. A number without a reference point often leaves this assignment unclear.
For later handover, the reference elevation, area investigated and method actually used remain documented together. If the next contractor works from a changed surface, it needs the connection to the earlier investigation status. Specialist review assesses whether the existing conclusion covers the additional volume of ground affected. A suitable investigation may continue to be used; outstanding areas receive a defined further commission. The project file records changes and the applicable plan version so that site management can clearly assign its next works.
If access, the working level or proposed construction condition changes, investigation planning is compared with it. Existing results are retained with their actual conditions. Specialists review additional needs for new tasks. A date change alone does not establish whether the planned service can be carried out under the new conditions.
Communicate changes as soon as they become relevant to investigation or subsequent works. Different access, a new utility route or changed construction conditions may affect the agreed commission. The specialist contractor reviews additional needs against the change described. Usable results for unchanged areas are retained. Site management receives the applicable status and prerequisites still outstanding for work to continue. Information for occupational safety, site organisation and coordination of simultaneous specialist works is also passed to those responsible. Where clearance works have actually been carried out, the clearance record, with areas addressed, methods, findings and outstanding tasks, is included in this handover. The scope of services reached thus remains traceable for further coordination.
Assemble the site plan, planned base levels and known terrain changes. Add existing explosive ordnance documents with their appendices. Coordination clarifies which areas and depths are to be considered. Conditions still unresolved are identified before a reliable service agreement.
A tender describes the onshore service scope, investigation objective and known working conditions. These include access, existing utilities, surfaces and proposed construction conditions. All bidders need the same location and elevation references and existing preliminary reports. Preparatory works required and documents still missing are identified. For phased work, define which investigation results must be available before which ground disturbance. Water-management, construction and explosive ordnance specialist tasks retain their respective responsible parties; shared coordination assigns their prerequisites and results handovers to the construction sequence.
If an area is excavated or ground disturbance relocated, the design is compared with the previous investigation result. The volume of ground affected and limits of conclusions are decisive. Findings that already apply may continue to be used. Additions are agreed for the question actually remaining.
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 assessmentMagnetometric 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 magnetometryElectromagnetic 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 surveyingUnder 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 limitationsFor 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 interventionsIf 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 constructionAccessibility, surfaces, installations and the proposed working level affect the choice of surveying method. Wet or temporarily flooded areas may have different conditions from dry land. These differences must be identifiable in the commission.
The commission for onshore earthworks identifies the volume of ground actually investigated and its technical prerequisites. Underwater surveying, diving works or watercourse clearance are separate tasks, clarified technically and organisationally where the project requires them. The enquiry and results documents keep these areas separate.
A documented investigation must be assessed according to its scope. If, for example, a higher working area was investigated, check whether the conclusion also covers the deeper works planned subsequently. Without this comparison, passing it on as blanket clearance would be too imprecise.
Show the structure, access roads and other ground disturbance areas. Mark areas in water separately. Initial contact records the project location, construction task and decision needed. The document review assigns existing assessments, reports, conditions and site plans to the planned working areas.
Identify planned base levels, reference elevations and proposed terrain changes. Where supporting information is missing, historical research and aerial photograph analysis are carried out. Method selection considers their results, target objects, the soil profile, interference, accessibility and investigation depth required.
Include existing explosive ordnance reports and requirements relevant to the project. The agreed surveying or suitable monitoring addresses the defined areas. Assessment assigns findings and measurement limitations to the planned groundworks.
We review the explosive ordnance contribution requested and identify the prerequisites and limitations of the service offered. The report and results plans document the scope carried out. The decision on subsequent steps clarifies further measures or coordination for outstanding areas before the subsequent works affected begin.
Results documents should identify the area investigated and the conditions under which it was investigated. Areas not addressed or with insufficient interpretation remain identified separately. Site management can then check whether the documented scope covers the next work.
The survey report identifies methods, areas investigated, findings and limits of conclusions. A clearance record documents clearance works actually carried out within their defined scope. The Clearance documentation remains related to these areas, depths and services. Reports are handed over together with their results plans and the underlying ground disturbance. For additions, it remains identifiable which earlier conclusion still applies and which part was newly investigated. Tasks still outstanding are compared before the subsequent works affected. The next site management team can thus relate the result directly to the next ground disturbance.
The pages for Tübingen, Reutlingen and Ulm examine other local construction questions in greater depth. For works beside watercourses, it is particularly important to relate water-management planning, the explosive ordnance task and actual construction clearly to one another. Each specialist commission and its result remain related to the task described; further services are coordinated with those responsible for them.
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 taskWe 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.
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.
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.
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.
A depth should identify the surface or elevation from which it is measured. Retain this assignment with the results report. If the ground surface changes later, it helps define the volume of ground actually investigated. Specialists clarify unclear details before they are used for new works.
Understand investigation reports and their limitationsDocumentation records the locations and stages reached for areas not investigated or investigated only to a limited extent in the report and plans. These limitations remain part of handover together with the results. Further specialist needs are agreed for ground disturbance planned there later. Each area retains its documented investigation status, even within a shared project.
For agreed excavation monitoring, the working area, prerequisites and communication procedures are defined. Site management agrees the work sequence with the specialist contractor. Any required area clearance receives a defined area and task. Findings are assessed by specialists; access and protective measures for further work must be coordinated. Any necessary Ordnance recovery is clarified with its specialist task and responsibility. A suspicious object is reported to the police immediately. Their instructions determine the next steps. Results handover describes work carried out and measures still outstanding for work to continue.
Understand the service scope
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
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


Historical assessment, technical investigation and further work answer different questions. For your enquiry, describe the planned groundworks and investigation results needed. Operating conditions for industrial and infrastructure projects also belong in the enquiry.
Compare services
Preparation connects the commission, site work and handover of findings. Changes to the project can then be incorporated into technical coordination in good time.
Process and documentationNo. Proximity to water alone is not a reliable conclusion about the specific area. Existing historical findings, official information and any investigations are assessed in relation to the property and ground disturbance.
Only an explicitly agreed and technically suitable investigation scope can support such a conclusion. An onshore investigation must not be transferred to areas in water without review. Work in water is clarified technically and organisationally as a separate task.
A planned depth of ground disturbance must be relatable to a known surface or elevation. Where terrain changes or working levels differ, it may otherwise remain unclear which ground an existing investigation actually covers. Agree the needs before the proposed groundworks. The site plan, base levels, construction conditions and existing explosive ordnance reports and maps with their appendices are needed.
The water-management units' duties must be kept separate from this. The Baden-Württemberg explosive ordnance disposal service is based at the Stuttgart regional authority and responsible statewide. Further responsibilities are clarified for the specific project.
Stop work in the affected area immediately. Do not touch or move the object; keep your distance, leave the danger area and keep others away. Notify the police on 110 immediately. Do not attempt to expose or recover the object yourself.
Proposed filling, excavation or changed working levels should be shown with the planned ground disturbance and its elevation reference.
This is checked using the method, documented scope and limits of conclusions. Investigation elevation alone does not permit a blanket transfer. The sequence connects document review, necessary historical research and method selection with investigation or suitable monitoring, assessment and documentation. Specialists define measurement limitations for the actual conditions.
The research needed, area and depth, access and working conditions determine the work involved. This also includes analysis, documentation and any further investigation of findings. Complete, usable preliminary reports help define the supplementary commission. Services in water are clarified as a separate task. State and private services remain separate commissions.
Clearly show onshore ground disturbance, base levels and working levels. Add the project address, municipality, cadastral plots, construction phase and ground disturbance due first. Identify access, known installations and expected changes in working conditions.
Include existing reports and relevant requirements with appendices. Assemble aerial photograph assessments, survey reports and clearance records with their area and elevation references. Identify missing appendices and contacts for design, site management and technical coordination.
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.