Schematic area map marking Trier, beside a tablet, white FONTANA-EOD hard hat, notebook and pen.

Explosive ordnance surveying in the Trier area and Westpfalz

Are you coordinating several construction projects in the Trier area or Westpfalz and need a reliable investigation status for each property? FONTANA-EOD helps clients, operators and designers compare existing reports with proposed interventions. Send a site list with site plans and the groundworks proposed first for specialist coordination.

Assess each site

Do not transfer existing knowledge indiscriminately.

Compare plan revisions

Identify changes to area and depth.

Commission specifically

Describe outstanding investigation questions clearly.

Enquire about a projectExplosive ordnance assessment in Rhineland-Palatinate
Assess the construction project

Record each site with its evidenced work status

Before ground intervention in an area of suspected explosive ordnance, investigation needs are clarified for the site concerned. For several projects in the Trier area and Westpfalz, we assign documents and outstanding investigation questions to each site individually. The shared overview distinguishes recommendations, commissioned work and results actually available. The next groundworks can thus be prepared using the evidenced status of the area concerned.

Project site

Connect the site with the specific construction task

Illustrative Rhineland-Palatinate map with the state coat of arms, tablet, white FONTANA-EOD hard hat and notebook.

Observe the different planning statuses from Bauler and Zweibrücken

The documents of 2023 mention a search already carried out in Bauler, whereas the Zweibrücken explanatory statement recommends investigations before construction measures. Such statements are recorded according to their actual content in your site overview. A specialist report is needed for the work mentioned as completed; for an outstanding recommendation, the subsequent task is clarified using the specific intervention.

Trier and Westpfalz are in Rhineland-Palatinate. For work on several projects, each site is assigned to its specific municipality. Alongside the address, identify the cadastral district, parcels concerned and responsible project participants. Planning region boundaries and a regional planning association's tasks do not replace this local allocation. A project with several construction sections may have different contacts and document statuses; shared project management brings this information together for each section. Further project locations are shown in the regional overview.

Rhineland-Palatinate
Local context

Two planning regions, separate projects

Distinguish the two planning regions

The Trier planning region comprises the City of Trier and the Bernkastel-Wittlich, Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm, Trier-Saarburg and Vulkaneifel districts. The Westpfalz regional planning association includes Kaiserslautern, Pirmasens and Zweibrücken, among other places, together with the Donnersbergkreis, Kaiserslautern, Kusel and Südwestpfalz districts. These are separate regional planning organisations, not a shared explosive ordnance district.

Define the explosive ordnance specialist task for each project

Regional planning and explosive ordnance assessment answer different questions. The Rhineland-Palatinate state explosive ordnance clearance service is based at the ADD and supports the competent authorities with specific hazards. For preventive private investigation, the individual project, its existing knowledge and proposed ground intervention remain decisive.

Keep documents together and results separate

Anyone coordinating several operational properties or municipal measures, for example, can collect documents using a shared structure. This does not create shared investigation findings for all sites. Specialist assessment must identify the area to which it relates and what remains unresolved there.

Read two planning procedures with different statuses

For the “Bei den Straßenhäusern” photovoltaic area in Bauler, the Verbandsgemeinde Südeifel's consultation assessment document records that a specialist company had already searched for explosive ordnance and the results had been sent to the heritage authority. By contrast, the explanatory statement for Zweibrücken development plan ZW 168 “Quartier Altes Brauereigelände”, dated October 2023, recommends investigations before construction measures. These are statements about the respective planning areas and procedural statuses at that time.

The City of Trier in its notice of December 2024 recalls the severe air raids of December 1944. The Zweibrücken planning explanatory statement identifies Second World War bombing as the background to its investigation recommendation. For each construction area, such historical indications are compared with sources available there and the proposed intervention. Regional history does not establish identical investigation needs for all properties. Local knowledge and specialist assessment of the specific project remain decisive.

Obtain the specialist reports needed specifically

For a shared project overview, this requires a specific distinction: where only a recommendation exists, further investigation needs clarification. Where a completed search is mentioned, its associated report and spatial and depth references are needed. Also check which works have been added since that plan revision. Mention of a search in a consultation assessment table does not replace its specialist documentation.

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 company addresses the agreed investigation and documentation scope. Official requirements are clarified with the respective competent authorities. Documents required for a specific procedure depend on the site and project. The technical report describes the specialist service carried out within its documented area, depth and service scope. Official decisions are made by the respective competent authorities.

In Rhineland-Palatinate, local regulatory authorities are generally responsible for hazard prevention; where delay would create danger, the police are responsible. The state explosive ordnance clearance service supports the competent authorities with specific hazards through administrative assistance. Precautionary private research and investigation services are commissioned separately for each project. If further clearance needs are established, subsequent specialist work and involvement of the competent authority are coordinated before execution. Project organisation records the respective tasks and contacts.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

Derive needs from the knowledge at each site

Method selection considers existing indications, the proposed intervention and conditions at each site. A shared procurement structure may standardise information. It does not establish an identical investigation scope, however. For each area, the findings still required and how they are to be obtained technically remain traceable.

Compare specialist services for the individual site

Assess a mentioned search using its report

If a planning document mentions earlier works, the associated specialist documents are obtained where available. Only then can area, task and limitations be compared with the new plans. Mention in a consultation assessment table does not replace this step. Remaining questions are described as a specific basis for further specialist clarification.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Organise consistently and decide by site

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

Link each property to a clear identifier

Use the same allocation for the site list, plan and report. Add a clear depiction of the area concerned to the address. Documents can then be filed correctly even if project names are similar. A central overview makes access easier while specialist assessment still concerns the specific project.

Coordinate the sequence and tasks
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Record recommendations and existing results separately

A recommendation initially identifies a possible further step. A mentioned execution refers to a service whose complete report is needed for comparison. Keep these differences visible in the overview. A short status such as completed is insufficient if it does not establish the task, area and result.

For several sites, the tender may set shared documentation requirements. Individual investigation tasks are described for each area: the investigation objective, intervention location and depth, existing information, accessibility and operational constraints. Identify works approaching first and sections becoming accessible only later. Necessary deployments and result handovers can then be coordinated. Any additions required are described with their specific prerequisite. Quotations must be compared using the same agreed scope and records required. Shared procurement may consolidate organisation; the technical prerequisites of individual sites remain explicitly identified.

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

Identify the next intervention for each site

Assign each approaching ground activity the current plan and existing knowledge relevant to it. A shared programme may show priorities but does not determine specialist investigation needs. These are assessed for the area concerned. Outstanding information and inaccessible areas remain identifiable independently of progress at other sites.

Compare specialist services
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 realistic programme distinguishes technically resolved work from prerequisites that are still outstanding. If only part of a site will be accessible, the commission must take this into account. Handover and assessment of the results also need time in the construction programme. The schedule and effort are agreed once the scope, access and prerequisites are clear. This coordination brings together the specified scope, access, documents, site conditions and the date by which a decision is needed.

Discuss the scope and schedule
Prepare the construction project

A shared overview with separate site files

01

Identify properties clearly

List the address, site plan and intervention areas actually required for each project. A property boundary alone does not describe where ground will be moved or drilling carried out. Clear names for several subareas help and should appear in the enquiry, report and construction plan.

02

Collect complete reports

Assign existing investigations to each respective site. Also check whether results plans and appendices exist. A report may concern a narrowly defined earlier measure; identifying the property on its cover does not yet demonstrate investigation of the entire area.

03

Describe construction projects individually

A hall extension, utility and new access route may occupy different ground volumes. Record proposed depths and, where applicable, the elevation reference. Interventions not yet established remain visible as outstanding planning points rather than silently being included in the known scope.

04

Track outstanding points

A site overview may show missing documents, inaccessible areas or outstanding decisions. It supports project management. Specialist findings about the ground arise only from assessment and documented investigations of the respective project.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Link the overview to original reports

Each entry refers to the complete document and its appendices. Its limitations are retained in the summary. Site management can thus trace the status actually achieved. A shared status list helps coordination but does not replace the specialist documentation of each investigated area.

The project file brings together the investigation commission, areas addressed, methods and result assessment. A survey report includes its associated plans and the interpretation limitations described. If clearance work follows, the clearance record documents its actual scope. Handover remains organised by site and construction section. A central project overview refers to these complete records; specialist findings remain with each respective area. Agree the result documents required and recipients who will base their next work step on them already at commissioning. For necessary area clearance or recovery, the task and spatial scope are clarified with the parties involved before execution. Records subsequently handed over describe the work actually completed. They are brought together with the plans used for it and outstanding tasks.

Update new results only at the correct site

First assign an incoming report to its property and commission. Then assess the outstanding questions it answers. Other sites retain their own underlying information. Commissioning several services at the same time does not permit transfer of a result to areas it does not cover spatially or technically.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Organise sites before a shared enquiry

Compile the site plan, next groundworks and existing documents for each property. Identify further reports only requested so far. The shared enquiry can then be assessed efficiently. Its individual tasks nevertheless remain separate so that the results and prerequisites required for each project can be agreed traceably.

Coordinate the construction phase with us

Select the next tasks after partial work

Incorporate new results into the overview only within the scope actually covered. Then assess which groundworks can be prepared further as a result. Outstanding site questions remain visible. The next commission builds on this documented status rather than being derived solely from a shared project date.

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 advance investigation cannot be completed in full, it is assessed whether a specialist-planned approach accompanying construction is suitable. This includes coordinated investigation, interpretation and communication of findings within the proposed work sequence. According to the DGUV FAQ, visual observation alone during excavation does not meet the state of the art. Site management needs a clear description of when specialist work takes place, how new knowledge is handled and which areas remain outstanding.

Agree the approach during construction
Technical assessment

What can be transferred and what is assessed individually

Consistent document structure

The same information may be requested for several projects: plan revision, location, depth, existing reports and accessibility. Results remain site-specific. The project document requirements help identify missing information specifically without assuming the same investigation needs for all properties.

For explosive ordnance assessment before construction projects in the Trier area and Westpfalz, the knowledge available for individual areas is determined first. Where historical information is insufficient, research and aerial photograph analysis required are commissioned specifically. The task may, for example, concern an extension area not previously assessed or an unclear map reference. Existing reliable results remain part of assessment. A newly obtained document is classified using its date and original commission. This distinguishes questions already answered from those still requiring specialist work.

Suitable methods for each area

A survey is planned according to existing knowledge, the investigation objective and site conditions. An open area of ground and an area occupied by utilities or structural elements may have different survey conditions. Methods and limits of findings are therefore described separately even within a shared commission.

Method suitability is compared with the object type sought, investigation depths required and possible interference. Ground structure, filling, reinforcement, utilities or other metal installations may create different survey conditions. Where interpretation is limited, that limitation is documented with its location. Specialist planning establishes further investigation for outstanding areas. If evidence is required for individual borehole positions, their precise location and depth belong in the commission. Subsequent relocation requires assessment of whether existing investigation still covers the new intervention.

Evidence for later works

Existing results may be usable for new works if their documented scope fits. Where areas or depths change, this correspondence is assessed. A set of clearance documents describes the area, depth and service scope actually investigated.

Subsequent construction needs a traceable relationship between the results plan and actual groundworks. Pass investigated areas, their depth references and remaining tasks to site management. Preparatory exploratory works or additional working spaces are also included in this comparison. If several companies are involved, the parties coordinate investigation, access and the construction programme for individual sections. The risk assessment considers proposed activities and the protective measures required. Changes are communicated with an identified plan revision so that an earlier report is used for the correct task.

Next steps

Submit several projects for assessment

01

Record sites and assess documents

Identify each property and the proposed measure. Link the list to associated site plans and contacts. Initial contact records the approaching construction tasks. Document assessment compares existing knowledge with the respective intervention areas and records information still missing.

02

Define historical information and methods

Record existing reports and identifiable gaps for each project. Identify documents whose spatial reference remains unresolved. Where historical information is outstanding, the research and aerial photograph analysis required are planned. Method selection considers their results, the investigation objective and actual conditions of each area.

03

Investigate and assess findings

State the specific work for which a decision is needed. This allows better coordination of specialist work than a blanket enquiry for the entire property portfolio. The commissioned survey or investigation accompanying construction addresses the defined areas under coordinated prerequisites. Survey data and findings are interpreted with their limitations; remaining tasks stay traceable.

04

Document and coordinate follow-on works

The commissioned investigation and its documentation are assigned to the respective project. Site management and project control receive the associated status, including outstanding limitations. Reports and plans document the specialist works carried out. These results establish which next groundworks are covered and where additional investigation or official coordination is needed.

Documentation

An overview does not replace individual records

Findings and their scope

A site list may be useful for ongoing coordination. Complete specialist documents remain decisive for the area investigated. Therefore link the overview to the report, its plans and construction section concerned. Short status notes should not extend documented findings.

Project responsibilities

For projects in Trier and Kaiserslautern, the project address, existing documents and next groundworks are assigned to local contacts. Hazard prevention follows Rhineland-Palatinate rules; responsibility for the individual project is clarified at the actual location. Results apply within their documented spatial and technical scope even if several properties are managed by the same client.

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

A consistent form can record different results

The same fields for location, depth and documents help identify missing information. Specialist findings nevertheless remain different. Identify their scope and outstanding limitations for each site. An identically structured form does not automatically make local conditions or investigations already carried out comparable.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

The term completed needs a defined scope

State the task completed, its area and the document demonstrating it. Even when participants change later, the status thus remains understandable. Completed research, a partial technical investigation and an administrative question may enable different next steps. Each result retains its actual spatial and technical scope, even under shared commissioning.

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 several projects in Trier and Westpfalz

Is there a shared Trier-Westpfalz explosive ordnance district?

The Trier region and Westpfalz have separate regional planning associations. These deal with regional planning. The state explosive ordnance clearance service is based at the ADD Rhineland-Palatinate. For your project, the specific specialist task and locally responsible authorities require clarification.

Can several properties be included in one enquiry?

Yes, a shared enquiry is possible. Clearly assign site plans, interventions and existing reports to each property. Investigation needs are assessed for each site; a shared commission does not establish uniform findings for all areas.

May a report from Trier be used for a project in Westpfalz?

As technical information, a report for another site may suggest relevant questions. It provides evidence for your project only insofar as its actual spatial and technical investigation scope covers it. Results for another property are not transferable indiscriminately.

How can later construction sections be considered?

Identify them in the site overview early and mark outstanding area or depth information. Investigation needs are assessed once the proposed intervention is sufficiently established. Existing results are assessed for usability in that process. Clarify investigation needs before the first ground intervention concerned, including preparatory works.

Who receives documents after investigation?

Handover is coordinated in the commission. For further planning, the responsible project participants must be able to receive the report belonging to the intervention with plans and limitations. A short summary in the site list does not replace these documents.

Which information makes a short site status understandable?

The defined task, area concerned and associated report. Outstanding limitations remain visible even in a short version.

Which documents and cost factors matter for an investigation?

If a plan mentions earlier explosive ordnance work, the complete specialist report with its appendices is needed where available. Scope and findings can then be compared with the current intervention. Area, depth, accessibility, interference and documentation required determine the effort of the chargeable private investigation. Agree the service scope needed for each site.

What should happen if a suspicious object is encountered during work?

If possible explosive ordnance is found, stop the affected works immediately. Leave the object untouched, keep your distance and warn others without putting yourself at risk. Notify the police immediately on 110 and follow their instructions. Do not attempt your own investigation or recovery.

Project enquiry

Submit your sites for specialist assessment

List sites clearly

Link each project to its plans, reports and outstanding questions.

Identify the next intervention

For each site, describe the work for which a specialist decision is needed.

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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