Technical map view of the Lower Franconia administrative district with Würzburg marked for explosive ordnance investigation and surveying by FONTANA-EOD

Explosive ordnance surveying in Aschaffenburg for boreholes and excavations

Before ground investigation and subsequent development in Aschaffenburg, individual investigation positions and the later construction area are considered separately. FONTANA-EOD reviews with project owners, specialist planners and site managers which conclusions are already available and carries out the agreed specialist works. Location, depth and documented limitations are decisive. Send the point list, complete results documents and current design for the excavation, foundations and utilities.

Borehole locations

Trace the positions investigated.

Construction area

Consider later ground disturbance separately.

Results

Pass on conclusions with their limitations.

Discuss the project's technical requirementsExplosive ordnance investigation in Bavaria
Assess the construction project

Are investigated boreholes sufficient for a later excavation?

That depends on the documented investigation scope and planned excavation. Provide the point plan with its associated report and current ground disturbance boundaries. Specialists compare the area, depth and limits of conclusions. A result for individual starting points or their surroundings covers further volumes of ground only within its explicitly described coverage.

Project references

Selected project examples

Project site

Connect the site with the specific construction task

Schematic map of Bavaria with a blue-and-white lozenge shield and crown, alongside a tablet, white safety helmet, pen and notebook.

Use the Aschaffenburg example within its limitations

The Goldbacher Straße environmental report distinguishes the borehole starting points investigated from the wider area considered. Your property's own documents are decisive. Municipal planning information can be requested using the cadastral district, plot number or address; specialist planning also needs current ground disturbance and complete investigation results.

Aschaffenburg is an independent city in the Lower Franconia administrative district in Bavaria, Germany. The city and rural district of Aschaffenburg remain distinct when assigning the municipality. The Goldbacher Straße example describes the defined planning area at that time. Other properties need their own addresses, cadastral plots, findings and proposed ground disturbance.

Bavaria
Local context

The whole Goldbacher Straße site still needed separate assessment

Assess the 32 borehole starting points at Goldbacher Straße

The environmental report for development plan 20/15 Baumarkt Goldbacher Straße of 2 July 2008 describes investigations at 32 borehole starting points or in their surroundings. According to the report, no explosive ordnance was found there. At the same time, the whole site continued to be shown as an area suspected of containing explosive ordnance. The report is identified as a draft and describes the planning at that time.

Compare the whole area with the next ground disturbance

For present-day construction projects, the limited reach of a point-based investigation is particularly important here. A result for borehole starting points cannot be transferred to a larger excavation or new utility trenches without specialist comparison. The old planning document also contains no current conclusion about the condition of every property in Goldbacher Straße.

The reconstruction atlas of the House of Bavarian History names the heavy air raid of 21 November 1944 on Aschaffenburg's station and Oberstadt, and severe destruction in Damm. This evidenced local history may support selection of historical information. It does not demonstrate present-day contamination of every construction property. For specific ground disturbance, available historical findings and technical investigations actually carried out are assessed together.

Working together

Distinguish the tasks of client, designers and specialist contractor

Client and operator

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

Planning and construction management

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

Specialist company and competent bodies

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

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

Derive the technical question from the planned extension

Method selection follows the conclusions needed and actual conditions. A larger construction area may raise different questions from individual earlier investigation points. Existing findings are considered and supplemented selectively. The commission identifies the areas to be investigated and documentation expected with its technical limitations.

Select specialist services for additional investigation needs

Compare a new point location before ground disturbance

If investigation points or foundations move, mark the new position. Also provide the previous investigation. The specialist planner checks whether its coverage still applies or a supplementary service is required. An unchanged project name or similar number of points does not answer this spatial question.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Compare investigated points with today's construction area traceably

Two people discussing plans at a table beside a vehicle on a construction site.

Read historical information and point findings together

A report may identify no indications at specific locations while recording an outstanding question for the wider area. Read the conclusions in their spatial context. Maps and descriptions belong together. For the current project, clarify which volume of ground was investigated and what different ground disturbance is proposed.

Identify whether a report describes a historical assessment or a technical result. Both may concern the same project area without reaching the same conclusion. Missing location appendices are requested where available. An area still outstanding remains explicitly identifiable. The next specialist service is related to the conclusion needed for it.

Assign historical information and technical point findings
Two people with a tablet beside a marked construction area; plans lie in the foreground.

Define supplementary investigation appropriately

Draw new excavations, foundations and utility routes on the current plan. The specialist planner compares them with existing results. Additions needed are defined for the areas actually outstanding. An earlier point grid may provide an important basis without itself covering every later area-wide or deeper work.

Planning of ground investigation points identifies which positions are settled and which may still change. The later excavation is added with its working space. Specialist coordination can then assess existing point findings and identify additional needs. A new location or depth is communicated before the ground disturbance affected.

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

Keep the scope of results clear for construction

Hand over point plans and reports with their respective versions. Site management should be able to identify which conclusion applies to which ground disturbance. Areas between investigation points and different depths are not covered by an abridged status message. Remaining limitations stay traceable in the complete documentation.

An investigation date is clearly connected to the point list used. Subsequent changes are identified with a separate version. Contractors receive complete documents for their respective tasks. An outstanding area is passed on with the clarification needed. Evidence for individual points remains available alongside it.

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 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

From the borehole list to later development

01

Locate investigation positions

Results must be assignable to the positions actually investigated. This requires clear point identifiers and a traceable location reference. A list without a map may make this difficult, particularly if the design has since changed. Obtain missing appendices before using an earlier result for a new work stage.

Maintain a point's name together with its actual position. An earlier location is not removed from the documentation by overwriting it. Where several plan versions exist, identify the applicable revision. Specialists clarify unclear assignments before a result is used. This makes comparison with the working spaces now proposed easier.

02

Compare relocated boreholes again

If an investigation point must move because of a utility, access road or other obstacles, it may lie outside the previous investigation area. The change therefore belongs in specialist coordination before work. The same point number does not automatically make the new position the point already investigated. Everyone involved should have the changed plan.

Identify the reason for relocation and available utility information. The new position is marked on the current site plan. The specialist contractor can then check whether suitable existing evidence is usable or an addition is needed. The prerequisites required for this are agreed with those responsible before construction.

03

Plan the later excavation too

A limited initial commission may be needed for ground investigation. Later development often affects additional areas and depths, however. Show the excavation, foundations and utilities early too. This distinguishes services for investigation from those for the actual construction works.

Distinguish the conclusion needed for ground investigation points from requirements for subsequent construction. An excavation may add working spaces, shoring points or individual deeper structural elements. These are included in the plan. Earlier results that apply are retained, while investigation tasks beyond their scope are described explicitly.

04

Read the documented investigation scope precisely

An investigation finding no explosive ordnance is tied to its commission, area addressed and technical limitations. It is neither meaningless nor transferable without limit. Further planning needs clarity about the conclusion actually reached. A brief note does not replace the complete report with its site plan and limitations.

Check the wording of the result together with the legend and work actually carried out. A conclusion about specific boreholes may be usable for precisely that task. Whether it concerns further groundworks is determined from its spatial and technical scope. Details still missing remain identifiable in planning.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Assign points spatially and precisely

Use the investigated locations' identifiers from the report. Add their locations to the current project plan where the assignment is reliable. If coordinates or maps are missing, identify this. A similar location description is insufficient to connect later ground disturbance with an old result without further comparison.

An associated elevation register may be needed to interpret depths correctly. State which surface underlay the report at the time where known. The corresponding reference is maintained for current planning. Where elevations or point locations are unclear, specialists establish their assignment before the work affected.

Consider area and depth together

A plan may show the horizontal location while the report contains further depth information. Both are needed for preparation. Describe the proposed excavation or foundation depths too. A spatial connection at the surface alone does not establish whether the planned work is covered by the earlier scope. Where clearance works are carried out, the associated clearance record is kept in the project file with the areas and depths addressed.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Provide existing point plans as a starting basis

Assemble the earlier investigation's plans and results in full. Add the current construction design with the proposed volumes of ground. Initial coordination assesses the documents and identifies missing details. Existing work can thus be used without overlooking intervening changes or areas not covered so far.

Name the person bringing together queries about the investigation programme and current construction design. An enquiry may concern several construction phases; their respective investigation tasks are still described separately. Earlier report appendices and subsequent changes remain available together. The next conclusion needed is agreed in relation to the ground disturbance proposed for it.

Coordinate the construction phase with us

Prepare area-wide construction separately

If preparatory ground investigation is followed by a larger construction scheme, its scope is described again. Excavation, peripheral areas and additional foundations may affect different volumes of ground. Existing evidence is checked against this. The next specialist services and results handover are agreed before the respective ground disturbance affected.

For additional areas, agree the prerequisites and handovers needed. Any area clearance, investigation of findings or recovery required is prepared with those responsible. Where clearance work is actually carried out, its associated clearance record, including the areas addressed, belongs in the project file. The recipient receives the results status together with its limitations.

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 analysis assigns suitable imagery and further findings to the area investigated. For later development, this area is compared with planned groundworks. If historical questions remain outstanding, the research or supplementary aerial photograph analysis needed is carried out. The result describes usable information and its limitations. An unremarkable technical point finding does not automatically answer the historical question for a larger area. Conversely, an older assessment is evaluated using its actual supporting information. Findings are brought together and used for subsequent investigation tasks.

Understand aerial photograph assessment

Magnetometric survey

Geomagnetic surveying records the magnetic field passively. An object's magnetic effect determines whether it can be detected; electrical conductivity alone is insufficient. For a borehole starting point, actual conditions at its location are considered. A relocated point may have different installations and interference. Specialist analysis considers these influences. An anomaly alone does not identify explosive ordnance. The result is documented with the volume of ground addressed. For a later excavation, areas not yet covered are defined separately rather than deriving an area-wide conclusion from the number of points.

Understand the scope of magnetometry

Electromagnetic methods

Transient electromagnetic methods, or TDEM, use the electromagnetic response of conductive objects over time. Suitability is checked according to the investigation objective and actual measurement conditions. A limited commission for ground investigation points is distinguished from a task for the later excavation. Measurement locations and existing installations are considered. Recorded data receive specialist assessment. Limits of conclusions remain connected to the area actually investigated. If the construction area is extended, new needs are compared with existing results.

Understand electromagnetic surveying

Ground-penetrating radar

Under suitable conditions, ground-penetrating radar can reveal reflections and structures in the ground. The soil profile, moisture and installations affect interpretation. The specialist planner defines the conclusion needed for the proposed ground disturbance. An image from another specialist investigation is checked for its actual usability for the explosive ordnance question. An anomaly does not automatically identify explosive ordnance; an unremarkable section does not provide evidence for arbitrary depths. Observations, limitations and further clarification needed are documented with the respective volume of ground.

GPR and limitations

Deep-ground and downhole surveys

A new foundation or excavation may affect deeper ground than the earlier geotechnical investigation points. For suitable deep or borehole surveying, define the conclusion needed, point location, depth and reference elevation. Prerequisites and access must be clarified before investigation. Documentation assigns each result to its actual area. Relocated starting points are compared with it before work. The same point names or an unchanged number are insufficient. Spatially limited evidence is retained with its conditions and supplemented by specialists for additional areas.

Prepare deep interventions

Survey during construction

Any necessary explosive ordnance investigation during construction is coordinated with the excavation and its progress. The approach may include necessary removal in layers, specialist exposure and supplementary surveying. Merely observing ordinary excavation work is not proper specialist detection. The commission considers existing investigations and volumes of ground still outstanding. Prerequisites are clarified before the ground disturbance affected. Findings are assessed and communicated through the defined reporting procedure. Site management receives the actual specialist work scope and limitations for the next work stages.

Agree the approach during construction
Technical assessment

Match the investigation scope to the project

Review preliminary information for the whole project

The Historical aerial photograph analysis may help locate possible wartime impacts and further indications spatially. Earlier technical investigations supplement this preliminary investigation. For the new design, check which areas the documents cover. An old assessment is not discarded solely because of its date, but neither is it transferred to a different commission without review.

Separate point-based and area-wide services

The Surveying is planned according to the investigation objective and construction-area conditions. A limited commission for geotechnical investigation points has a different spatial scope from investigation for an excavation. In both cases, locations and proposed ground disturbance must be described traceably. The result should identify its scope of application just as clearly.

Commission further services traceably

A Clearance plan may define how outstanding areas are addressed and results assigned to construction sections. Investigations already suitable are considered. The number of earlier measurement points does not replace this specialist assessment. Visual observation during excavation is likewise no substitute for an investigation needed before ground disturbance.

Next steps

Which documents help with the next project phase

01

Provide the investigation programme and construction design

Send planned ground investigation points with point numbers, locations and proposed depths. Add the later building and utility design where available. Distinguish settled positions from options still outstanding. This shows whether the enquiry initially covers only geotechnical investigation or already includes further groundworks. Initial contact identifies the project location and conclusion needed. Existing plans, statements and reports are checked for currency, spatial reference, completeness and gaps.

02

Address outstanding historical questions

Where historical questions remain open, necessary research and aerial photograph assessments are actually carried out within the commission agreed by specialists. Existing assessments are considered with their respective subareas and conclusions. Additional findings are assigned to the present area of ground disturbance and used in investigation planning.

03

Identify the applicable development plan

The City of Aschaffenburg offers property-specific information on development and land-use plans. The cadastral district, plot number or address helps identify them. Where needed, also request the explanatory statement and relevant appendices. Planning-law information and explosive ordnance references are then assigned to their respective purposes. The appropriate method is selected according to the investigation objective, depth of ground disturbance, soil profile, installed structures and actual measurement conditions. Access and prerequisites required are clarified with those responsible.

04

Hand over existing investigations completely

Submit maps and documented limitations as well as result notes. For several investigation dates, it should remain clear which status belongs to which point list. Clarify missing or conflicting details before commissioning where possible. Only then can results already usable inform the new design sensibly.

05

Perform the agreed investigation

The agreed survey or appropriate investigation during construction is carried out on the defined areas and points. Measurement data and observations receive clear position and elevation references. Uninvestigated areas, restricted access and relevant interference are recorded.

06

Assess and document findings

The collected data and findings are assessed against the investigation objective and actual measurement conditions. The assessment takes account of interference and limitations. The report and plan appendices document the technical assessment, areas addressed and their position, elevation and depth references. Required further tasks follow from this.

07

Assign results for construction

Site management and contractors need a clear connection between the report and planned ground disturbance. If working areas increase or depths change, compare them again. Record outstanding areas separately from tasks already resolved. This prevents a limited investigation being understood later as clearance for the whole site.

Documentation

Define the private investigation commission clearly

Findings and their scope

In Bavaria, preliminary investigation of a construction property is separate from state disposal of explosive ordnance found. The current notice describes different tasks for this. Municipalities are generally responsible for local hazard response; for an actual find, the police must be informed immediately. A private investigation commission does not replace this report.

Project responsibilities

FONTANA-EOD clarifies the specialist needs for your Aschaffenburg project and suitable services with you. The BFR KMR set out technical principles for investigation and documentation. They apply directly to federal properties and do not establish a blanket investigation duty for every private property. The specific design and its requirements remain decisive.

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

Distinguish the number of points from the actual investigation volume

The number of points investigated alone says nothing about complete coverage of a later excavation. Locations, depths, methods and documented conclusions are needed. Keep the associated plans with the report. Specialist assessment can then compare the volumes of ground actually investigated with the new design.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

Check summaries against the complete report

A brief result line may omit important spatial limitations. Complete documents therefore remain decisive for construction. Also pass on information about outstanding areas and recommended further steps. During later changes, assignment is checked again and the current stage reached recorded traceably in the project file.

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 boreholes and the whole construction area

Do investigated boreholes provide clearance for the whole excavation?

Not automatically. The result applies to the documented investigation scope. Whether it covers the planned excavation fully or partly must be checked using the location, depth and conclusions in the report.

What does the Goldbacher Straße environmental report show?

The draft of 2008 distinguishes results at 32 borehole starting points and their surroundings from the assessment of the whole area at that time. The point-based investigations were not treated as an all-clear for the entire site.

What matters when a ground investigation point moves?

Before work, check whether the existing investigation result still covers the new position. Communicate the change with a clear location reference. An unchanged point number is insufficient.

Must all previous investigations be repeated for an extension?

No. First check which results remain usable for the new design. Additional services address questions and areas still outstanding. Their scope cannot be determined solely from the size of the extension.

What applies if an unexpected suspicious object is found?

Stop the affected work. Do not touch, move or relocate the suspicious object, and do not uncover it further. Leave the danger area, keep others away and call the police on 110 from a safe distance. Do not take the object to a police station. Follow the competent authorities' instructions.

Which cost factors matter in moving from boreholes to an excavation?

The work involved depends on existing supporting information, historical questions outstanding, the number and location of investigations actually needed, areas and depths of new ground disturbance, access and interference, preparatory works, and analysis and documentation. Suitable earlier results are considered. For additional or relocated points and further construction areas, the scope still needed is determined. A price for individual ground investigation points therefore cannot be transferred unchanged to the whole construction area.

What must a brief summary for site management retain?

It must not hide the spatial limitations of the complete reports. Information about outstanding areas and recommended further steps remains traceable. Complete documents with the current stage of work are provided for construction.

Does visual observation during excavation replace an investigation required beforehand?

No. Merely observing excavation does not provide the specialist conclusion needed earlier. Outstanding areas and services required for them are agreed in relation to the planned ground disturbance. Investigation results already suitable remain considered.

Project enquiry

Prepare the first technical discussion

Show points and the construction area

Include the investigation plan and current ground disturbance boundaries.

Also show the later excavation, shoring points and preparatory ground disturbance where known. Distinguish settled positions from those still possible. Identify the next project phase and the conclusion needed there. Include existing evidence with its assignment to points or areas rather than stating only its summary status.

Identify depths and changes

Assign reports, new foundations and relocated points.

Include results plans, elevation references and documented limitations together. Explain which points moved after an earlier investigation. Tasks not yet resolved remain identifiable on the current plan. For the specialist commission, the conclusions needed and actual prerequisites are agreed in relation to the proposed ground disturbance. Identify the project location in Bavaria or specify a different federal state.

GPR on a construction site
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.

Send a project enquiry Call now Send documents Select services