Technical map of the Leine-Weser administrative area marking Hildesheim for explosive ordnance assessment and surveying by FONTANA-EOD

Explosive ordnance surveys in Hameln

If you are planning new paths, utilities or foundations on an open site in Hameln, these ground works also belong in the explosive ordnance assessment. FONTANA-EOD clarifies the investigation needed with you and carries out the commissioned investigations. We need the locations and depths of the individual ground works and existing explosive ordnance records.

Record interventions

Also mark connections and individual foundations.

Review records

Check which areas existing reports cover.

Plan the investigation

Define what needs investigation and where.

Discuss the planned groundworksExplosive ordnance assessment in Lower Saxony
Assess the construction project

Record individual foundations and paths in full too

A few small structures on an open site may involve numerous separate ground interventions. For your project in Hameln, we consider foundations, utilities, paths and terrain alterations at their respective locations and depths. Investigation needs are derived from this work and existing findings.

Project site

Connect the site with the specific construction task

Illustration of a map with the Lower Saxony coat of arms, a tablet, hard hat and documents.

Site and existing requirements

Specify the actual project location with a site plan and the affected land parcels. Existing information, conditions and reports are assigned to this area. Hameln is in the Hameln-Pyrmont district in Lower Saxony. The district belongs to the Leine-Weser administrative area. Responsibility depends on the actual project address; for work outside the city, the respective municipal bodies responsible are involved. Identify the version of the records and the body responsible for the project location for each site plan.

Explosive ordnance assessment in Lower Saxony
Local context

Assess earlier uses and planning records in Hameln

Clarify historical spatial references for the ground works

The labels park, recreation area or parking space do not yet describe the ground works proposed. Foundations, utility trenches and area-wide soil removal may affect different areas and depths. Mark these activities individually. A site being largely undeveloped does not establish its explosive ordnance status.

The Hameln fire brigade chronicle describes the air raid of 14 March 1945, with damage around the main railway station, and the demolition of the Weser bridges in the final weeks of the war. For a present-day project, these spatial references are checked against historical maps and later changes to the ground. Which findings concern the specific ground works is assessed from the spatially assigned records.

Open-space uses in the planning example

The published explanatory statement for Hameln development plan 282, “Zeltlagerplatz Halvestorf”, in its adopted version of August 2023 distinguishes, among other uses, camping areas, buildings, lightly surfaced pitches and ground modelling. It thus describes different construction-related uses within one project. These designations do not establish an explosive ordnance finding. Another site or changed ground works require their own records and requirements.

The same adopted version provides, as a precaution, for analysis of historical aerial photographs by the explosive ordnance disposal service. A proposed analysis and its actual available result are distinguished in the project file. Present-day investigation therefore draws on the complete report, appendices and associated plan version.

Existing knowledge

The explanatory statement for development plan 552, “Hummebogen”, includes an LGLN recommendation for aerial photograph analysis. At the status described, neither aerial photograph analysis nor surveying or clearance had been carried out for that plan area. When using such planning records, check whether the recommended clarification has since taken place. Later reports belong with their area plans in the records for the planned ground works.

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 contractor performs the agreed investigation and documentation work. Official requirements and decisions are clarified with the respective responsible bodies. The records needed for a specific procedure depend on the location and project. The technical report documents the specialist work carried out and its area, depth and limits of conclusions. The responsible bodies make official decisions concerning subsequent groundworks.

For a project in Hameln, municipal requirements are agreed with the body responsible at the project location. The state explosive ordnance disposal service supports Lower Saxony’s municipalities within its remit.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

Relate existing analyses to the ground works

An aerial photograph analysis or earlier report is compared with the individual points and connected working areas. Complete documents and their maps are needed. A finding for a neighbouring area is not transferred solely because it has the same use. If later investigations exist, they also belong in the comparison before new services are defined.

Assess historical documents

Consider area, point arrangement and conditions

Suitable technical work follows from the investigation objective, required depths and local conditions. Installations, vegetation and access can also affect the workflow. The plans therefore clearly identify the points and areas affected. The small size of an individual foundation establishes neither automatic exemption from investigation nor a particular investigation method.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Describe distributed ground works as a coherent task

Illustration: two people with a tablet beside a drawing table and a survey trolley on a construction site.

Individual foundations across a larger area

Poles, edging or small structures may require point interventions in several locations. Record every point with an identifier, location and proposed depth. Working areas and access roads may also be needed. A large property area describes this task as imprecisely as foundation dimensions alone. The specialist planners need the actual arrangement to compare existing results and outstanding areas.

On the plan, distinguish the foundation itself from the necessary excavation and working space. For each ground works point, these dimensions are compared with the associated investigation. Shared numbering connects the structural element list, investigation plan and subsequent report. If a point moves, the spatial comparison is updated too. Before work begins, the contractor receives the information for the point actually proposed.

Compare specialist services for individual foundations
Illustration: two people with a tablet beside a drawing table and a survey trolley on a construction site.

Paths with drainage and connections

For a new path, edging, utility crossings and drainage facilities may disturb the ground alongside the path structure itself. This work is shown together on the site plan. Different depths and construction phases remain identifiable. If a section is added later, it must be checked again before work begins whether existing investigation records cover the additional area and proposed ground works.

Add the longitudinal alignment and relevant cross-sections of the earthworks. Chambers, gullies and crossings may require depths different from the continuous path structure. These locations are recorded separately. Also identify the connection to existing infrastructure and the responsible operator. Investigation concerns the full ground volume affected, including connections outside the main path shown.

Specialist services and investigation tasks
Illustration: a person wearing a hard hat and holding a tablet beside a cordoned-off excavation with an excavator.

Ground modelling and planting

Excavation, fill and planting pits affect the ground in different ways. A label such as green space or recreation area alone says little about this. Compile the planned work with its spatial limits and depths. Preparatory measures may also need separate specialist clarification before the main use begins. The specific ground disturbance remains decisive, rather than the area’s later name.

Compare existing and proposed ground levels. This identifies where excavation actually takes place and which later foundations or trenches extend through new fill. Routes and equipment areas used for construction are also considered with their necessary ground works. The specialist planners agree the terrain conditions at the time of investigation and the level to which its depths refer.

Provide specialist supervision of excavation
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.

For tendering, describe investigated sections, outstanding areas and proposed individual structures separately. All contractors invited to quote need the same plan version and complete existing reports. The service description identifies document review, necessary analysis, technical work and results handover with their respective scopes. Services whose necessity follows only from specialist assessment remain identifiable as such.

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 whether survey access already requires soil removal, lifting of paving or creation of an access road. These preparatory ground works are described by location, depth and timing. Their explosive ordnance prerequisites are agreed before work begins. Also state who makes access possible and which areas must remain closed to other work during investigation.

Clarify preparatory work in the programme

Agree a clear scope and schedule

A reliable process distinguishes work already technically clarified from prerequisites still unresolved. If an area will only be partly accessible, this must be taken into account when commissioning the work. Handover and assessment of results also need time in the construction programme. Specific coordination connects the described scope with access, records, execution conditions and the date by which a decision is needed.

Discuss the scope and schedule
Tasks at the site

These ground works belong on the site plan

01

Individual foundation points

Where lighting columns, fences or smaller buildings are planned, for example, individual foundation locations belong on the site plan. State the proposed depth and construction for each. Assessment of a large open area does not automatically replace investigation of a deeper foundation at its edge.

02

Utilities and drainage

Utility connections, trenches and drainage facilities connect individual use areas. Their connections may also lie outside the main area itself. The complete proposed route with its different depths is therefore relevant to assessment, including additional chambers or crossings.

03

Paths and paved areas

For a new path or parking space, describe whether the existing structure will remain or soil will be replaced. Investigation depends on the proposed work and its depth, including at the edges. A plan of the later surface does not necessarily contain these details.

04

Terrain and planting areas

If depressions, slopes or planting pits are to be created, excavation and installation depths should be marked separately. Preparatory ground works also form part of the project. If landscaping plans are added later, check before work whether the investigation also covers the additional area and its depth.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Keep an unambiguous list of ground works points

Give separate foundations, chambers or planting areas unique identifiers shown on the site plan. Add depths, planned work steps and associated records. This assignment makes coordination and later results handover easier. If individual points move or are removed, the change must remain identifiable in the shared plans.

Explicitly mark areas not covered

Not every part of an open site needs the same investigation scope. What matters is that the documented findings match the work actually proposed. Areas not yet accessible or not commissioned are therefore recorded separately. Site management can then identify the results available for a work step and where further clarification is needed before it begins. The project file connects these ground works points to the commissioned survey data, survey results, assessment of findings and complete report. After clearance work, the clearance record with its scope, results and remaining limitations is assigned to the points covered and associated plan version.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Before establishing the working area

Clarify which preparatory activities already disturb the ground. A temporary connection or access road may precede the permanent foundations. This sequence belongs in the enquiry and investigation plan. Required records, access and technical results are assigned to each step. Preparation thus remains traceable even with many small individual measures.

Coordinate the construction phase with us

Changes during construction

New locations, additional utilities or changed path alignments are compared with existing results before the affected ground works. Provide a dated plan with clearly marked changes. An investigated point covers a relocated point only to the extent supported by the documented scope. Supplementary coordination should specifically address the changed task.

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, it is assessed whether a technically planned approach during construction is suitable. This includes coordinated investigation, interpretation and communication of findings within the planned workflow. A necessary survey remains part of the agreed approach; visual checks supplement it. Site management needs a clear description of when specialist work takes place, how new findings are handled and which areas remain unresolved.

Agree the approach during construction
Technical assessment

Assess records and survey conditions

Which areas were assessed?

For any necessary aerial-photo analysis the area concerned must be clearly identified. The LGLN explains which records must be submitted. If the ground works are dispersed, check for each area whether the existing analysis covers it. Even areas with the same owner may have different findings.

When records are handed over on a site purchase or change of project responsibility, include the original question. Distinguish historical analysis, technical investigation and a recommendation for further work. Complete maps show the section to which the report relates. Compare it with the present individual structures and record spatial gaps before commissioning.

Access and possible survey interference

Access, existing installations and possible interference are important constraints for a geophysical survey. The selected method must match the investigation question. An open lawn establishes neither a particular survey range nor the suitability of a method for every deeper or built-over section.

For an enquiry about borehole clearance, specify the borehole position, proposed drilling depth and associated level reference. Equipment positioning, access and preparatory ground works also belong in the plans. The specialist planners determine the suitable investigation for these ground works. Ground structure, utilities, reinforcement and other sources of interference may affect what can be established. The report and plan record the ground volume actually covered and remaining limitations together.

Tasks of the specialist contractor and authorities

The LGLN distinguishes commercial hazard investigations from official municipal duties and the state KBD’s tasks. The clearance plan organises the commissioned services and their interfaces. The investigation report documents the specialist work carried out; necessary official decisions are made by the responsible bodies.

If the assessment identifies a need for further clearance work, the clearance objective and spatial scope are defined. Work across an area is described by its intended purpose, access and actual construction-stage conditions. Recovery and further measures are agreed with the responsible bodies within Lower Saxony’s division of responsibilities. The survey report and clearance record document the work carried out with its conditions and limitations.

For a suitable investigation during construction, the necessary technical work is integrated into the work sequence. Visual checks supplement the proposed survey. Before work begins, specialist personnel, site management and the contractor agree investigation sections, protective measures, authority to issue instructions and reporting channels. Changed conditions are assessed before the next work step. If a suspicious object is encountered, affected work stops and the responsible bodies are notified immediately.

Next steps

How to prepare the investigation

01

Clarify the project location and ground works points in the initial discussion

List the proposed ground works by name, location and depth. Include work by other trades wherever it forms part of the project. Use the same numbering in the list and site plan so that later changes can be assigned unambiguously. The initial contact identifies the project address, current plan version and first proposed earthworks. State which decision the investigation should prepare and who brings the records together.

02

Assess records and historical questions

Compile existing explosive ordnance records, official correspondence and relevant as-built plans. Assign their findings to the ground works. If appendices or precise area boundaries are missing, clarify these first. Only then can the further investigations needed be assessed. Where the evidence is unresolved, necessary historical research and wartime aerial photograph analysis are carried out. Earlier uses, events and changes to the ground are related spatially to the present ground works points. The analysis identifies its findings and limitations as a basis for further investigation planning.

03

Select methods and coordinate the work sequence

Define the prerequisites that must be met before the first ground intervention. This also concerns preparatory paths, site facilities or connections involving ground works. The work must be compatible with investigation results and applicable requirements. The start is coordinated with necessary specialist work and decisions. The specialist planners select the suitable method according to the investigation objective, ground works depth, ground structure and interference. For dispersed foundations or utility routes, individual investigation areas and necessary access are defined.

04

Survey and assess anomalies professionally

The commissioned survey or technically planned supervision is carried out in the described areas. Survey data and anomalies are interpreted with regard to the method and local conditions. Inaccessible sections and further clarification needed remain spatially identifiable. If a suspicious object is encountered, affected work stops and the responsible bodies are notified.

05

Hand over the report and associated plans together

The documentation identifies the points and areas actually covered with methods, depths and limitations. The report and associated plans are handed over together to the agreed recipients. The project file must retain a traceable record of which findings belong to which plan version and which areas remain outstanding.

06

Compare the next work and changes with the result

If a foundation moves or a connection is added, assess the change against the previous investigation brief. Those involved assess whether the area, depth or investigation conditions differ. This keeps clear which parts have already been covered and which still need clarification before work. Before the following ground intervention, it is checked whether the documented result covers the location, depth and proposed work. Necessary additions and outstanding decisions are assigned a specific next step. The relevant records are passed to the contractor.

Documentation

Document areas and depths investigated

Findings and their scope

The documentation should identify the ground works or investigation areas covered and the method used. Spatial limits, investigation depths reached and limitations form part of the results. Also mark small uninvestigated gaps. The investigation scope required for these gaps remains separately identifiable.

Project responsibilities

For handover to site management and subsequent trades, the report, plans and necessary appendices are needed together. Record which tasks are complete and what still needs clarification. The Baufachliche Richtlinien Kampfmittelräumung provide technical principles within their federal remit. For the Hameln project, the local and contractual requirements actually applicable are checked.

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 findings are identified. They are shown separately in the report and overview plan. Planners and site management can then decide specifically which areas still need work and when a suitable investigation will become possible.

Clarify changes before intervening in the ground

A new location, additional depth or different construction methods are compared with the existing results. Changes are passed on with dates and clear plan references. Feedback is provided before the affected work so that an unresolved question can be incorporated into the workflow.

Hand over the report and plan together

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

Understand the results

Use technical statements for the next decision

Read results together with their scope

A statement is understandable only with its investigation task. Check the area and depth described, methods used and restrictions. A report title or single result line is insufficient. For new work, these details are compared with the current plan to establish which knowledge remains usable and which question is unresolved.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

Use project terminology unambiguously

Document review, surveying, construction-phase specialist work and recovery are different tasks. An enquiry need not identify the correct method in advance. An accurate description of the intervention and required decision is more useful. This establishes the appropriate technical scope and prevents a general term from meaning different things in design, procurement and execution.

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 ground works on open sites in Hameln

Does every small foundation need a separate investigation?

Not automatically. Existing findings and the specific ground disturbance must be assessed first. Individual ground works can be combined in a coordinated investigation brief. The technical investigation needed depends on the specialist assessment and applicable requirements.

Is land previously used as a meadow safe?

Visible use alone does not establish explosive ordnance status. The assessment depends on site-specific records and the proposed ground works. Equally, a site’s location in Hameln alone does not establish specific contamination.

What does the Halvestorf plan establish for my site?

The adopted version dated August 2023 describes the uses and construction works for that project. It is not explosive ordnance evidence for your site. Your own areas, existing technical records and applicable requirements remain decisive.

What matters if utilities are added later?

The location, depth and connections are compared with the previous investigation brief. If that brief does not cover the addition, what is additionally needed must be clarified before work. A main area already covered does not automatically cover a new connection.

What should I do if I find possible explosive ordnance?

Stop work in the affected area, do not touch or move the object and keep your distance. Keep other people away and, in Germany, notify the police on 110. Follow the authorities’ instructions; do not handle or transport a suspicious object yourself.

Is an overview plan without depths sufficient for the enquiry?

It helps with initial orientation but does not yet fully describe the investigation needed. Add the proposed depths and working spaces for each ground intervention. If these figures remain unresolved, identify the planning status and state when the necessary information is expected.

How are sections not initially accessible documented?

They remain explicitly identifiable in the investigation plan and later report as outstanding or covered only to a limited extent. For ground works planned there, it is clarified when suitable access will exist and what must be established beforehand. A result for the accessible neighbouring area does not replace this assignment.

What affects the work involved with many small ground works points?

Alongside their number, locations and depths, access, possible combined investigation and existing records matter. Repeated visits or changing construction phases can also affect the workflow. A numbered overview with proposed dates and the required handover of results makes a traceable service description easier.

Project enquiry

Explosive ordnance assessment for your project in Hameln

Show points and areas together

Send the site plan with foundations, paths, utilities, drainage and proposed landscaping works. Clearly identify separate ground works points and add depths and working spaces. Existing aerial photograph analyses and technical reports should be assignable with their complete appendices.

Explain sequence and access

Identify the first ground works, proposed construction phases and known access restrictions. State which points may still move or become accessible only later. A responsible contact and the date by which technical findings are needed help further coordination.

Add the project address, land parcels, current project status and planned construction dates. Official conditions are provided with their complete appendices. Identify the decision needed and relevant date, together with existing utility and as-built plans.

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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