Explosive ordnance surveying in North Rhine-Westphalia

In the greater Cologne area and along the Rhine corridor, city-centre projects, industrial sites, ports and transport links intersect. New foundations and excavations may enter areas not covered by earlier investigations. Therefore compare the planned interventions with the areas and depths covered by existing statements. At operational sites accessibility, traffic routes and coordination with the operating organisation belong in preparation. The Wesseling location is a contact point for enquiries from this area and other parts of NRW. Projects in Düsseldorf, Leverkusen, Krefeld and Mönchengladbach are coordinated using their respective site plans and local procedural status.

In Essen, Dortmund, Duisburg, Bochum or Gelsenkirchen new uses may encounter former production facilities, railway land, coking plants and extensive existing underground structures. Foundations, utilities and metal-bearing fill influence technical investigation. Two questions must be distinguished: which historical indications exist, and can the area concerned be investigated with the proposed method? On a large redevelopment site, investigation may take place in several sections. For infill development, by contrast, only a single excavation may be involved. The investigation scope must reflect these differences. For projects in Mülheim an der Ruhr and Oberhausen demolition records and new groundworks are also compared for each property.

In the western part of the state, the history of ground fighting must be considered alongside aerial warfare effects where relevant to the site. Information on former positions, military installations or known finds may be important to assessment. For road, site development and utility projects, research should therefore relate to the actual route and possible changes in use. An investigation concept from another area must consequently be checked for suitability at this site. For project locations in Aachen, Düren and Eschweiler the specific location and proposed route remain decisive for document assessment.

In the area around Bielefeld, Paderborn and other Westphalian municipalities, historical transport routes, industrial sites and military locations are possible starting points. Specific indications and the type of proposed works remain decisive. A point foundation, a railway construction section and a new commercial site require different investigation volumes. Coordination takes place through the locally responsible authority; the KBD at the Arnsberg district government is responsible for the Arnsberg, Detmold and Münster administrative districts. For construction projects in Hagen and Hamm the investigation areas and handovers needed are likewise agreed with the respective responsible authorities.

Outside dense urban areas too, former airfields, military use, transport links or local wartime effects may be relevant. For energy projects and longer routes, different documents may exist for individual sections. Sections with differing findings must be traceably separated. The Lower Rhine and Münsterland are not automatically within the same area of responsibility: property location and administrative assignment are decisive, not merely an overarching landscape name. For project locations in Münster the cadastral parcel, construction section and existing document status are provided together.

Terrain, access routes and existing infrastructure influence execution in upland areas. This also concerns projects in the Rothaargebirge, Wittgensteiner Land, Aachener Hügelland and North Rhine-Westphalia’s fringes of the Hohes Venn. Topographical conditions do not establish that an area is free of explosive ordnance. Historical information, ground intervention and technical possibilities are assessed together. Even outside the major cities, the investigation and its limitations must match the planned intervention. For projects in Solingen and Wuppertal the respective access and terrain conditions are compared with the investigation task.

Compile the current site plan, property boundaries, intervention depths and construction methods. Include official statements and existing investigation reports. If file references, assessed area or construction scope do not match, this should be clarified before further commissioning. Date the documents and identify their plan version so that it remains clear which version a finding relates to.

Describe which next construction step is to be prepared. For foundations, an assessment specific to the point and depth may be central; for site development, a larger section may be involved. Defined service limitations facilitate agreement on effort, timing and documentation. An instrument name alone does not describe the service. Also state which area and depth are to be investigated and which results are needed.

Information is needed about utilities, access, construction conditions and neighbouring activities. Changes caused by demolition, site setup or new installations may affect investigation. The sequence is therefore coordinated with designers, site management and other participants. Necessary protective measures and reporting channels belong in that coordination before the proposed works begin.

Finds, interference, inaccessible subareas or changed construction plans may require additional steps. Effects on investigation and the construction sequence are assessed and agreed with the responsible participants. Originally expected dates may be affected. Record significant changes in writing and relate them to the affected plan version.

The documentation relates findings to the area addressed. It identifies the method, relevant conditions, results and limitations. Clients should be able to recognise which question has been answered and where further work remains necessary. A conclusion applies within that described framework and is not extended indiscriminately to the whole property or later changes of use.

To estimate effort, we need information on the area, existing documents, access and planned measures. The official procedure and private specialist services must be considered separately. Processing time and costs can only be estimated after reviewing the project. Any possible coverage of costs must also be clarified separately. We identify the information still missing for our quotation.