Technical map view of the Tübingen administrative district showing Tübingen as a location for explosive ordnance assessment and surveying by FONTANA-EOD

Explosive ordnance surveying in Reutlingen

Already have soil analyses for your new excavation? Explosive ordnance assessment needs its own investigation commission suited to the planned earthworks. FONTANA-EOD helps project owners, specialist planners and site managers in Reutlingen prepare the agreed specialist services. Send existing assessments with location appendices and the current plan of proposed ground disturbance.

Soil reports

Keep investigation objectives distinct.

Earthworks

Agree new ground disturbance beforehand.

Records

Pass on results with their limits.

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

What conclusion is still missing despite existing soil analyses?

Before excavation, drilling or utility works in Reutlingen, establish the explosive ordnance assessment available for the affected areas and depths. Geotechnical and contaminated land reports provide information on other investigation questions and local conditions. Outstanding explosive ordnance questions are addressed through historical assessment and suitable technical investigations; results and limits inform further construction planning.

Project references

Selected project examples

Project site

Connect the site with the specific construction task

Illustrated map of Baden-Württemberg with its three-lion coat of arms, a tablet, white FONTANA-EOD hard hat and notebook.

Read the Egelhaaf site with its separate technical questions

The explanatory statement of 2 February 2022 contains conclusions about disposal requirements and, separately, the explosive ordnance assessment at that time. Both concern the planning case described there. For your construction task, its own reports are similarly considered by purpose and scope. Reutlingen's online planning information helps orientation; complete relevant documents remain necessary for the specific comparison. Reutlingen is a major district town in the Reutlingen district, Tübingen administrative district, in Baden-Württemberg. The official register of municipalities identifies these administrative levels. For the enquiry, name the project address, affected cadastral plots and local contacts responsible. For a location outside the town boundary, documents are assigned to the respective municipality. The statewide KMBD at the Stuttgart regional authority is the contact for state preliminary investigation. Further project locations are available in the regional overview.

Baden-Württemberg
Local context

Reutlingen's wartime traces and present investigation questions

Distinguish the two matters in the Egelhaaf plan

The explanatory statement for the Egelhaafgelände development plan of 2 February 2022 addresses both matters separately. For soil material, it identifies further investigation needed regarding disposal and landfilling. In contrast, the aerial photograph assessment found no indications of unexploded bombs within the area investigated. The design at that time, investigation area, sources and limits of the aerial photograph assessment remain decisive.

The air raid on 1 March 1945 destroyed, among other buildings in Reutlingen, the town hall and station building. The City Archive's historical documentation describes the raids and damage around the station and Listplatz. Large parts of the municipal records were lost with the town hall. Records held separately by the building departments survived, however, as the City Archive's holdings overview explains. Surviving construction records, plans and aerial photographs may therefore reveal different parts of a plot's history. For explosive ordnance assessment, the sources actually available are related to the respective area.

Assign the project's own reports to the planned ground disturbance

For your plot, this leads above all to a practical question: which investigations exist, and which groundworks do they cover? A laboratory finding on reuse of excavated soil does not replace explosive ordnance assessment. Conversely, an explosive ordnance report does not answer a question about the soil's chemical composition. Specialist planners should therefore relate their results to the same site plan before drilling, trial pits or excavation begin.

Working together

Distinguish the tasks of client, designers and specialist contractor

Client and operator

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.

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 with its documented area, depth and service scope.

The explosive ordnance disposal service at the Stuttgart regional authority carries out its duties throughout Baden-Württemberg. For proposed preliminary investigation, prepare the application and site plan according to its documents. The private specialist commission describes the investigation objective, scope and handover of results. For an actual find, notify the police; they arrange the next steps with the responsible specialists. The construction file records official requirements and technical investigation results with their respective contacts and drawing revisions. Site management accounts for the resulting tasks in the specific construction section.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

Define the appropriate investigation objective

First establish the explosive ordnance question outstanding before planned ground disturbance. Read historical knowledge and existing results for this. Other soil reports may provide information on local conditions. The technical approach is matched professionally to this specific task; a contaminated land reference alone does not prescribe an explosive ordnance method.

Choose methods according to the specific explosive ordnance question

Retain measurement limits in the result

Utilities and structural remains may affect assessability in individual areas. Investigation describes its actual conditions and limits. If a necessary conclusion cannot be reached, further needs remain identified. A positive result from another specialist investigation does not automatically resolve the outstanding explosive ordnance question.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Organise investigations for the planned ground disturbance

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

Describe the existing body of knowledge

Assign each report to its commission and areas investigated. Historical explosive ordnance information, geotechnical data and chemical analyses may support the same design but answer different questions. Complete appendices help comparison. A brief statement such as 'ground investigated' leaves the question actually addressed unclear without this context.

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

Include preparatory ground disturbance

Drilling and trial pits for further assessments belong in the design with their locations and depths. Even if they precede the excavation, they may need their own specialist preparation. Explosive ordnance requirements are checked using existing knowledge. The small size of an individual investigation point does not replace this comparison.

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

Bring results together for excavation

Before the proposed earthworks, site management needs the appropriate document status. Specialist conclusions are handed over with their purposes, areas and limits. An agreed disposal route for soil material does not answer an outstanding explosive ordnance question. New areas or changed depths are compared with existing results before execution.

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.

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 reliable sequence distinguishes technically clarified works from outstanding prerequisites. If an area will be only partly accessible, this must be considered when commissioning. Handover and assessment of results also need time in the construction sequence. Timing and the work involved are agreed after clarifying scope, access and necessary prerequisites. State the date by which the decision is needed.

Discuss the scope and schedule
Tasks at the site

Assemble the documents for the new excavation

01

Record the reason for each report

Organise existing assessments by task. Did they concern bearing capacity, pollutants, disposal or explosive ordnance? Read appendices too: they often identify the points and areas investigated. A report title alone says little about the parts of the present construction area actually covered. Obtain missing appendices before specialist assessment.

For a request for quotation, explicitly identifying the results needed helps: does the task concern historical preliminary investigation, investigation of an additional area, a new excavation area or specific drilling points? The specialist contractor also needs existing results reports and planned work phases. Clearance for a borehole identifies location, depth range and documented service scope. Any necessary deep-ground surveying or area clearance is derived from the technical task and local conditions. Where services are planned together, investigation tasks are described individually and traceably.

02

Compare investigation points before groundworks

An investigation for a soil report also disturbs the ground. Pass the proposed drilling and trial pit points, with locations and depths, to the explosive ordnance specialist planner. They assess the preliminary investigation scope required and any further measures. The small area of an individual investigation point is not sufficient reason to bypass this question.

03

Communicate changed excavation areas early

A larger excavation or relocated sewer may affect different ground from the previous investigation. Mark the change and pass it to both specialist planners. Existing results can then be compared specifically. Whether additions are needed depends on the new ground disturbance and limits of previous evidence.

04

Read the local planning documents in full

Reutlingen provides qualified development plans in its geoportal. The city states that the online service is incomplete and not legally binding. A map extract may help identify the area; your project nevertheless needs the relevant documents, including assessments named within them. The absence of a reference in an online plan establishes no conclusion about explosive ordnance contamination.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Obtain missing appendices specifically

Check whether the site plans and investigation details associated with a report are available. Without them, spatial identification may be harder. Identify who obtains missing documents and account for this in the sequence. An incomplete summary is not treated as a substitute for complete evidence.

Inform both specialist planners of changes

A larger excavation may change the need for several investigations. Clearly show the change's location and depth and pass on the same revision. Each specialist planner assesses it within their own remit. Results are then brought together for the common construction sequence without mixing their respective purposes. For clearance works carried out, the associated clearance record, including areas addressed, methods, findings and outstanding tasks, belongs in this collection; it does not replace the other specialist planner's results.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Agree points before soil sampling

Send proposed ground investigation points with locations and depths, together with existing explosive ordnance documents. The specialist planner checks the prerequisites needed before this ground disturbance. The further assessment commission and its timing are considered. Preparatory groundworks are thus already included in the common sequence.

Coordinate the construction phase with us

Compare the full scope before excavation

Compare the current design with results actually available. Identify added areas or deeper sections unambiguously. Specialists determine which conclusions remain usable and which additions are needed. Site management receives the documents with their limits and outstanding tasks.

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 explosive ordnance investigation should achieve

Assign historical information to the plot

The Historical aerial photograph analysis provides a basis for assessing possible explosive ordnance contamination. It must relate to the area needed. Earlier uses and later ground changes may be relevant to specialist assessment but do not replace an investigation result. A conclusion for a neighbouring planning area must not be adopted for the project's own excavation without review.

For former commercial land, plot boundaries and building positions at the time are compared with present ground disturbance. Several construction sections or cadastral plots may now overlap a former industrial building location. Research assesses available aerial photographs and supplementary records with their respective areas of reference. Documented demolition, filling and later ground movements are also recorded. If a suspected explosive ordnance area in Reutlingen is to be assessed, the commission identifies the outstanding question and volume of ground needed. Local wartime history and the result of a specific plot investigation are each retained with their own spatial conclusions.

Clarify measurement conditions before surveying

During Surveying, structural remains, utilities and other interference may limit analysis. Communicate known installed structures and access problems. Method selection must suit the investigation objective and local conditions. An unclear measurement area must not appear in a later report as though it had been investigated without limitation.

Method selection also considers planned preparatory works: where are soil samples, groundwater monitoring points or later drilling points? Which areas are accessible to vehicles, and where are documented utilities, foundations or metal installations? These details are brought together with expected target objects and the investigation area required. Where measurement is limited, specialists determine whether another method or an adapted investigation sequence is suitable. The report keeps areas actually assessed distinguishable from outstanding areas. Findings are assessed according to the method used to obtain them. The Surveying is matched to this investigation objective.

Prepare earthworks with specialist input

A Clearance plan may define the measures needed for the proposed works and how to address limited measurement feasibility. Merely watching excavation does not replace a proper specialist investigation. Suitability of explosive ordnance clearance during construction must be justified for the project; it does not follow automatically from existing contaminated land.

For proposed supervision, describe working areas, investigation steps, responsibilities and stoppages within the sequence. Site management receives the relevant documents before the affected ground disturbance. If a finding needs further work, the next step is agreed with those responsible and documented. Excavation monitoring or explosive ordnance clearance during construction receives a technically defined commission; suitability depends on the grounds for suspicion, construction method and investigation opportunities. Measures to address the danger from an actual find follow the official reporting and response procedure. Soil material investigation and explosive ordnance specialist work retain their respective responsible parties.

Next steps

So site management can use the results

01

Coordinate the project and documents

A traceable drawing revision helps compare reports. Specialist planners can assign their respective investigation areas within it. Different elevation references or plot names should be clarified before execution. This shows where results complement each other spatially and where questions remain. Initial contact records the project location, forthcoming groundworks and decision required. Document review assigns reports and appendices to affected areas and identifies missing information.

Record what elevations refer to. An excavation depth measured from present ground level can be compared with an older investigation only where its elevation reference is traceable. Mark known raising of ground level, earlier excavations and changed terrain levels on the plan. Where several investigations exist, draw their boundaries separately and link them to the respective reports. A lateral extension and deeper excavation may affect different volumes of ground. The common depiction enables the specialist planner to define the additional scope needed specifically and explain it to site management.

02

Define research and the investigation commission

If specialist clarification is still needed before soil sampling or excavation, include it in the sequence. An already proposed disposal route does not replace this clarification. Identify the outstanding decision and who obtains missing documents. The agreed date should account for these prerequisites. Where basic information remains outstanding, historical research and aerial photograph assessment are carried out for the investigation area. Method selection assesses the grounds for suspicion, target objects, volume of ground, sources of interference and access together.

For the specification, pass available documents, areas, planned depths and known interference to all participants with the same revision. Describe access, possible work sections and dependencies on other trades. Preparing investigation areas and handing over results also belong in the agreed sequence. A revised disposal plan may need different storage or excavation areas; compare this change with the explosive ordnance specialist commission. Investigation needs and the construction sequence then share the same spatial reference. Any necessary Recovery is coordinated with its working area and respective responsibility.

03

Document investigation and handover of results

Documentation should identify area, depth, method and remaining limitations. Pass these details in full to site management. A shortened summary such as 'ground checked' leaves the subject and area unclear. Instead, refer to the specific report and its appendices. The agreed survey or technically suitable supervision is carried out for the defined areas. Analysis assesses findings with their measurement and conclusion limits and compares them with the planned works.

Handover includes the specialist report, associated location appendices and traceable reference to the investigation carried out. For outstanding areas, identify the conclusion still needed and who arranges the next step. A clearance record documents the clearance service actually carried out and its scope. Site management keeps the relevant documents in the project file and passes them on if the contractor changes. Changes to the excavation, utilities or foundations are compared with this documented status before execution. The Clearance documentation records the documented area, depth and service scope.

04

Compare changes and the subsequent decision

If foundations become deeper or another utility trench is added, check relevance to existing results again. This does not necessarily mean repeating all investigations. The specialist planner can use the change to determine which existing conclusions still apply and whether additional measures are needed. The report and location appendices document the scope carried out. The subsequent decision describes necessary further investigation or coordination for outstanding areas; those responsible receive the relevant results.

Documentation

Responsibility and the specialist commission in Reutlingen

Findings and their scope

The explosive ordnance disposal service at the Stuttgart regional authority is responsible throughout the state. Its duties include render-safe operations, transport of recovered explosive ordnance and destruction. Landowners must arrange searches and recovery; within its capacity, the service may undertake them against reimbursement of costs. Otherwise, private specialist contractors must be commissioned.

Project responsibilities

FONTANA-EOD supports project-specific explosive ordnance assessment and coordination of the agreed specialist services. The current construction design and investigations already available help an enquiry. The responsible state authorities make official decisions. The BFR KMR guidelines serve as technical guidance outside their federal scope.

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

Check the meaning of a negative conclusion

If an assessment identifies no indications, the sources and area it investigated remain decisive. Read the associated limitations and appendices. Specialists interpret the conclusion for present ground disturbance. An investigation result for another area is not applied to the project's own plot merely because it is nearby.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

Use online plans as a starting point

A map display may help locate the relevant planning documents. It does not automatically show all assessments relevant to the project. The city identifies the limits of its online service. Missing information is therefore specifically obtained rather than treated as evidence that a technical question is already clarified.

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
Four people in orange high-visibility vests in front of two excavators on a construction site.
Person with a yellow survey cart on a footpath in front of a hedge.
Questions from planning

Questions about explosive ordnance assessment and contaminated land

Does a contaminated-land report replace an ordnance check?

No. It examines other soil properties and risks. What matters is whether a separate explosive ordnance assessment covers the planned ground disturbance and what its limits are. Clarify the investigation requirements before the affected groundworks, including preparatory boreholes. For a preliminary investigation by the KMBD, the application and site plan are submitted in accordance with its documentation; technical specialist services are coordinated with the appointed specialist contractor.

Does the result for the Egelhaaf site also apply to my property?

No. That conclusion relates to the area investigated there and the planning at the time. For another property, its own documents and planned ground disturbance must be assessed.

Do boreholes for soil samples also need to be considered?

Yes. The planned investigation points and depths must be included in the preparation, because they also disturb the ground. The measures required beforehand must be determined by specialists on the basis of the available findings.

Which reports should I send with my enquiry?

Send any existing explosive ordnance documents, including plans and appendices, as well as relevant ground investigation and contaminated land reports. Add the current plan of the proposed groundworks and mark any changes from earlier investigations. Reviewing these documents determines what further research and investigation are needed. Following the agreed investigation, the results are assessed and documented together with their limitations.

What should you do if a suspicious object is found?

Stop work, do not touch or move the object, and keep others away. From a safe distance, call the police on 110 and follow their instructions.

Why is a note saying that the ground has been checked insufficient?

It leaves the purpose, area and limits of the investigation unclear. The specific reports and appendices must be matched to the planned ground disturbance.

What needs to be checked if the excavation depth changes?

Mark the previous and newly planned depths on the current plan. Compare the additional ground disturbance with the scope of investigation actually documented. An existing report retains its stated conclusions; specialists determine whether the changed volume of ground requires further investigation. The suitability of a method also depends on the soil profile, interference and accessibility. The specialist report documents the areas investigated and the remaining measurement limitations.

What determines the cost of an explosive ordnance investigation?

The work required depends on the research needed, the areas and depths to be investigated, accessibility, interference, and the agreed analysis and documentation. Further investigation of findings and any necessary work stages are considered in the specialist commission. Complete existing documents help define the scope actually needed. KMBD services and charges are considered separately from private specialist commissions.

Project enquiry

Prepare the first technical discussion

Match reports to their purpose

Send complete explosive ordnance, ground investigation and contaminated land documents.

Show the groundworks precisely

Mark the locations and depths of boreholes, trial pits and the excavation.

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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